Wishes, Wings, and Broken Things
by keariel
Summary: Quinn is done pretending she's okay; and she's close to done with the New Directions. But a certain blonde Warbler could show her not everything is as bad as it seems... Quiff. Spoilers from 3.04 onwards. K plus for future kisses.
1. Chapter 1

**This was born of frustration over Finn being a douche.**

**It turned into Quiff inferences; and will become a longer fic.**

**With alternate universe!Quinn and characters from SPAH!verse - not all of them, and you don't technically have to read Spah! to understand; although I'd recomend it, because it's a good universe. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Glee is not mine. Nor is Riker Lynch. Or SPAH! and therefore the majority of the Warblers mentioned. The costume girls are children of my own imagination. :)**

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>

Pot 'O Gold

"Look, Blaine, I don't know how they did things in the _Warblers-_" A voice cut over Finn from the back of the class, sharp and quite obviously fed-up.

"Oh my god, Finn, just shut up already. Stop acting like you're the king of this castle; because you know what? You're _not_." Finn's mouth dropped open as he stared at Quinn, who was glaring at him, arms crossed over her chest. Blaine was watching her with something similar to thanks on his face, but her attention was fixed on the boy ticking her off at that moment.

"You need to stop. And I mean now. Yeah, you're 'co-captain' of the New Directions, but since when does that _mean_ anything? What do you and Rachel even _do_? Except, oh, yeah, right, hog all the solos and make us all feel crap about ourselves. I am _sick and tired_ of your high and mighty attitude. Blaine? He's trying to support you, Finn. Why he's bothering, since you're an unappreciative _ass_ and were bound to cut him down, I have _no_ idea; but is it such a fricking punishable crime that he's drawing from the experience of a Glee Club that's kinda different from ours? So what if we're not as popular as the Warblers are at Dalton? Why don't you use your magical powers of co-captaincy and go magic us up some new members, huh? Stop being such a hypocritical bastard and turning against the members we've got at the moment." Quinn finished with a bite to her words, admiring the way Finn was gaping at her, hurt; before she got to her feet, and threw her bag over her shoulder, storming from the room. She heard Kurt call after her, but ignored him; yes, he was probably the only person left in the glee club she really got along with – other than Blaine – but at that moment, she was too stressed out to talk to him.

Finn had forced her over the edge.

How dare he do that? How dare he preach at them about getting along and being a family; and then shoot down someone with a perfectly good suggestion? What kind of family did _that_?

Quinn had reached her locker by that point; and she let out a huff of frustration, throwing a punch at her locker door in a moment of rash aggravation. A couple of stray students who hadn't yet gone home gave her a confused look; after all, her style wasn't exactly one of someone prone to throwing punches at inanimate objects. She'd considered changing her look over the summer – dying her hair, getting a tattoo. The whole shebang – but had decided against it. She wanted her senior year to be a good year; one she could enjoy – could look back on and appreciate.

At the start of the year, sure, it hadn't included Glee. But part of that group _was _her family; and a damn better one than her dysfunctional parents and oh-so-perfect older sister.

But Mercedes had left, Finn was a jerk, and the others had never really cared about her all that much.

Besides which, she'd never really liked Rachel that much in the first place.

Quinn let out a long, soft sigh, before yanking open her locker and pulling out her homework, shoving it roughly into her bag before slamming the door shut, and heading for the exit.

There was no way she was going back in that room; if there was one thing she'd learnt from Rachel Berry, it was that you never walked back in after a dramatic exit.

Besides which, she could really use a cup of strong black coffee.

* * *

><p>Quinn breathed the smell of her coffee in deeply, before sighing contentedly.<p>

This was what she needed.

She looked around the little coffee shop curiously. She'd never been to Westerville before; never had a reason to visit the higher-class area of Ohio. She and Kurt hadn't been close enough in Junior year for her to drive up to visit him. But she was regretting that now; this really was a nice shop. She'd have loved to discover it earlier.

It was far more hipster than the Lima Bean, with a lack of cheesy holiday-related merchandise on sale around the cashier. The lighting was soft and warm, and there were prints of modern art pieces on the walls. All the furniture was dark wood, and the booths in the back – like the one she was sat in now – had long, comfortable benches with soft burgundy pillows. There was a candle in the middle of her table, but it was unlit; probably reserved for the afternoons, when she could believe people would come on dates here.

She'd just lifted her cup to her lips, to take another swallow of the frankly _amazing_ coffee; when the door to the shop opened, and a small group of uniformed boys walked in.

She blinked in surprise as she recognised the crest on their blazers; and a couple of the boys themselves.

Because these were a couple of the Warblers; she remembered them from Sectionals and Regionals, and was pretty sure some of them had performed at the nursing home she'd had a part-time job at last spring.

Quinn tilted her head as she watched them, a half smile turning up the corner of her lips.

She hadn't really looked at another boy properly since she and Finn had broken up; understandably, she'd been all kinds of torn up afterwards. Not only had she genuinely thought she loved him; but he'd convinced her to cheat in the only stable, good relationship she'd ever had, and had wrecked that for her. Only to go back to the girl he'd left her for the first time around.

When she was feeling particularly bitter, she told herself that it was Finn's fault her life had gotten so screwed up the last two years; and in terms of Sophomore year, yeah, that was unfair.

But Junior year?

Yeah. That had pretty much been his fault.

She took another long drink of her coffee as she watched the Warblers, smiling slightly at the way they were laughing and joking together. The New Directions were never like that anymore; without Mercedes, things had only gone down hill. Tina had been right; Mercedes, as one of the original members of the New Directions, had really been a large part of their 'family'. Without her, things were less energetic; darker.

Quinn was taking another swallow of her coffee, closing her eyes at the taste – this really was the _best_ coffee she'd ever had – when someone politely cleared their throat; and she opened her eyes to find one of the Warblers stood at her table, smiling slightly at her.

She practically felt her cheeks turn red.

Had he seen her watching them?

"C-can I help you?" She flushed an even darker red when her voice came out almost as a squeak, clapping a hand over her mouth; but the boy just grinned, politely not saying anything.

"Would you mind if my friends and I sat with you? Everywhere else has filled up; it gets like this when it's raining." Quinn dimly noted that that was probably why his hair was wet; before nodding with a shy half-smile.

"Sure. Uh, I'm Quinn." The boy gestured for his friends to join him, before grinning and taking the hand she held out for him to shake.

"Jeff." He offered with a smile; and Quinn's blush darkened for some inexplicable reason, and she grinned back. She shifted along the bench as Jeff's friends joined them, freeing up room for one of them; and had to hide the way her stomach lurched when Jeff himself slid in behind her, taking his time to give her an opportunity to tell him to get lost. He smiled at her when she didn't, and she smiled nervously back, glancing down at her coffee and absently turning her cup in her hands. The other two boys quickly introduced themselves, shaking her hand – Nick and Harry, their names were – and she smiled sweetly at them; before she had to field questions.

"So what brings you to Westerville?" Nick asked; and when her eyebrows lifted in surprise, he grinned.

"Saw you at Sectionals and Regionals, remember? It's hard to forget someone with such a nice voice." Quinn blushed at the compliment, before smiling at him slightly.

"Club troubles. I just got in my car and went coffee-shop hunting." She looked around the shop she was in appreciatively.

"I think I may have found the one." She offered with a grin; and then Harry, who had been opening his mouth to say something, mischief clear in his eyes, yelped, reaching down to clutch at his shin – which Quinn assumed Jeff had kicked, from the way he was staring the Japanese boy down.

"Pratik's gonna kill you if you've given me a bruise." Harry pouted; and Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, _sure_. Because Pratik totally doesn't like me better." Harry scowled.

"What are you insinuating, Sterling?" He asked darkly; and Jeff smirked at him.

"Merely that you may be dating him, but your boyfriend prefers my company, _Takashima_. Besides which, you deserved it." Quinn turned to look at Harry, her expression surprised.

"You're gay?" He flushed lightly, and her expression dropped.

"Oh, I-I didn't mean to pry, it's just...I don't know, you don't seem like the type? Excuse me if I'm being ignorant, it's just the only experience I can draw on is Kurt, and now Blaine with his endless number of sweater vests and hats." The three boys all looked at each other; before bursting into laughter, while Quinn just blushed and looked down at her coffee. She only looked up when their laughter faded, and Jeff lightly placed a hand on her arm, grinning when she looked up at him.

"We weren't laughing at you, don't worry. It's just that it's Pratik everyone keeps assuming is straight; or even asexual, since he's so awkward usually." Harry scowled, and threw a napkin at Jeff.

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about, Sterling." Nick just shrugged with a half-grin.

"Jeff's right. You and your love for the Beatles gives you away, Takashima. Pratik is harder to guess." Harry pouted, before looking back at Quinn.

"You are my only friend, at the moment." He stated; and she grinned back at him, before drinking some of her coffee, listening to the boys as they entered into a kind of comfortable banter which had her leaning back against the backrest on the bench. Now and then, she glanced at Jeff out of the corner of her eye, smiling at the way his features lit up when he spoke to his friends, and admiring the way his hair was drying into soft-looking platinum blonde strands; and blushed when he caught her gaze and grinned at her, glancing back at her coffee.

The afternoon finished far to quickly; what was left of her coffee went cold, and all of a sudden it was seven o'clock, and she should really be getting home.

The boys took her phone, taking goofy pictures of themselves – Nick pulled a face, while Harry went through the dramatics of taking a proper MySpace style picture – before they added their numbers; except for Jeff, who just grinned easily into the camera, and put a smiley face at the end of his name. Quinn quickly added her own picture and number into each of their phones, before all four of them got to their feet, and said their goodbyes.

Harry pulled her into a quick hug.

"I'll text you; you should totally meet Pratik. He'd really like you." Quinn grinned at the compliment, and hugged Harry back; before giggling when Nick hugged her, lifting her off the ground.

"If you ever decide to spy on us, come along; we adopted Kurt, so we'd be more than happy to have you." Harry frowned at his friend.

"Dalton is an all boys school, Nick." He stated, amused; and Quinn laughed when Nick's face dropped.

"I might come and spy on you anyway." She offered with a smile; and giggled when his expression lit up, before he and Harry began to make their way towards the exit, bickering softly. Jeff smiled at her when she looked back at him.

"Sorry about my insane friends; I'd say the others were better...but, well, I'd be lying. Some of them are actually worse; especially Wes and David." Quinn blinked lightly at the familiar names.

"They weren't seniors last year?" She asked, confused; and Jeff grinned.

"They wish." He offered; and Quinn smiled at that, before blushing when he pulled her into a soft hug.

"It was nice to meet you, Quinn. I'll text you." Quinn was still blushing when he released her; and it darkened when he took one of her hands in his, kissing the back lightly and grinning at her.

She turned her eyes downwards shyly.

"I'll see you around." She murmured, glancing up through her eyelashes; and smiled when he grinned at her, before he turned and jogged over to his friends, who were waiting impatiently by the door.

Quinn practically danced back to her car after they left.

When she got home, she breezed past her mother; she ignored all the missed calls and texts on her phone.

And she fell asleep holding her phone to her chest, after replying to the 'good night' texts she received from three boys who had been nicer to her than the New Directions had in a long time.

* * *

><p>Quinn grinned at the text she'd just received, giggling softly, and ignoring the looks she drew from some of the other New Directions.<p>

_I really hate Mr Matthews sometimes; if we do another Train number, I'm going to strangle him with his unrealistically expensive tie. J_

She quickly typed back a reply, still grinning.

_At least he's not trapped in the '80s. Mr Shue makes me want to burn his ridiculous collection of vests. Q_

She only had to wait for a moment for the reply; and let out a soft snort at the words, not noticing the frustrated look Rachel sent her way from where she was singing yet _another_ solo.

_I'll bring the gasoline. J_

She was just about to type back at reply, when she received another text, and grinned when she saw who it was from.

_Pratik wants to know if you like Taylor Swift. Please say no? Otherwise he'll be playing 'Love Story' for the rest of the day. H_

Quinn let out another soft giggle, before texting back quickly, eyes fixed on her phone.

She had completely blocked out the rest of the club at this point, and so didn't notice all the looks she was getting.

_I cannot tell a lie; I love her. I have every one of her songs on my iPod. Sorry. XD Q_

She was halfway through a reply to Jeff when Santana plucked her phone from her hands.

"Hey!" She snapped, glaring at the Latina; who just smirked as she read through Quinn's texts.

"Who's 'H', huh? And this 'J' guy; you've texted him, like, loads. Oh, wait, it's _Jeff_ and _Harry_ is it?" Quinn glared and made to snatch her phone back; but Santana held it out of her reach.

"I'm proud of you, Q. Two boys at once? Nice going." Quinn scowled as she went for her phone again.

"Harry has a boyfriend, Santana; now give me back my _phone_." Quinn finally managed to snatch it back as Santana frowned with the revelation that Harry was gay.

"Why would you be texting someone who didn't swing your way?" She asked, screwing up her nose; and the look Quinn gave her was venomous.

"Just because you can't be friends with a boy without hiking up your skirt, doesn't mean _I_ can't." She snapped. Santana flushed at the obvious insult; but Blaine quickly interrupted whatever the Latina had been about to say, glancing between the pair nervously.

"You know Harry and Jeff? As in, Harry Takashima and Jeff Sterling?" Quinn shot Santana one last vicious glare, before looking back at Blaine and smiling as she sat back in her seat.

"Yeah. I met them yesterday; and Nick." Blaine grinned; while Rachel cut in, obnoxious as ever.

"Met them _where_? Where did you _go_ yesterday?" Quinn glared at the short brunette; before purposefully looking back at her phone and continuing her text, ignoring the indignant splutter that was Rachel's reaction.

_Do you have enough to incinerate a five foot tall brunette diva? Because otherwise I'm going to strangle her. Q_

"Quinn! You can't just _ignore_ me! Who are these people?" Quinn resolutely stared at her phone, waiting for a reply; only, for, when it came in, Rachel to snatch her phone from her hand.

Quinn's head snapped up, and she glared at the frowning brunette girl.

"Give me back my phone, Rachel." She snapped; but the other girl just continued to frown.

"What's gotten into you, Quinn? Usually you're at least a _little_ more open than this. And yesterday was just out of character; and unjustified, by the way. Finn was frustrated by the lack of optimism in the room, and I completely agree with his over all messages." Quinn's smile was poisonous.

"So you agree that the rest of us should just sit here like ornaments and let you shut us down when we try to help out? Wow Rachel. Just _wow_." Rachel's frown deepened.

"Look, I get that you're stressed; your last two years haven't been the best, and you're still bitter that Finn chose me over you. Add to that the fact that my mother is back, and yes; I can see where your undue aggravating attitude is coming from. But I really don't think you should let a little thing like-"

Quinn slapped her.

Rachel gaped at her – and Quinn knew that the rest of the club was probably doing the same – but she was past caring. She snatched her phone back, and shoved Rachel back a step, rounding on her with a vicious expression.

"Don't you even _try_ to understand what I'm going through. You have no _idea_ what it's like. Have you ever had a baby, Rachel? Have you been called a slut by the people you thought were your friends because of a dumb mistake? And if that's not enough, let's think back on last year, shall we? Have you ever cheated on anyone, Miss Berry? That little escapade of yours with Puck didn't count, because at the time you and frankenteen weren't exactly _together_, were you? Have you ever wrecked the best thing in your life because of some stupid feeling you never really felt? I gave up _everything_ on one, _stupid_ mistake with your idiot boyfriend; only for him to break up with me when he figured out that he still liked you. Do you know what that's like? If he hadn't egged me on, I could have finished the year still dating Sam; could have had one perfect thing in my life." By this point, Quinn had forced Rachel back so she was pressed against the piano, her eyes round and scared. The other New Directions all looked at each other, not wanting to intervene; and when Mr Shue went to stop Quinn, Kurt just gave him a warning look, and he sat back down.

They could all see that Quinn wasn't finished.

"Don't assume you know _anything_ about how I feel about Beth, either. She doesn't need me in her life; I've screwed up my own, I'm not going to screw up hers too. Shelby's good for her; she'll make sure she's brought up right. What would I do? Other than teach her that getting pregnant at fifteen is okay, of course. You don't know _anything_ about me, Rachel Berry. Those three boys were nicer to me in the space of three hours than you have been over two _years_. For once I spent an afternoon not feeling crap about myself. So don't you _dare_ try and ruin this for me. So what if I decide to talk to them instead of sitting through yet _another_ episode of the Rachel Berry show? Without Mercedes, that's pretty much all this _is_. At least when she was here there was someone to tell you to shut your mouth; someone to stand up to you. I'm sick of _you_, your huge nose you've decide to look down at everyone, and your stupid determination to make anyone who's not quite as good as you feel like they're tone deaf. Excuse me if I'm not prepared to bow down to you, almighty co-captain, and explain my life like it is some educational novel. Because frankly, it's _none of your business_." Quinn finally took a step away from the terrified shorter girl, ignoring her phone when it vibrated again; it had done so repeatedly while she'd torn into Rachel, but she was too riled up to see who was texting her.

The blonde girl took a deep breath; before she turned to look at Mr Shue, whose eyes were wide.

"May I be excused?" The teacher nodded dumbly, and Quinn moved to pick up her bag, shrugging Kurt's hand off when he reached out to touch her arm.

"I'm fine." She muttered, before heading for the door.

She paused before walking out, and offered the still shell-shocked Rachel a poisonous smile.

"Oh, and Jeff, Nick and Harry? They're Warblers. Just to pour salt all over the wounded look on your face." Quinn snapped the last part, before storming from the room.

Second time in as many days, she observed internally as she headed for the parking lot.

Her phone vibrated again; and she glanced down at it, blinking when she saw Jeff was calling her.

She guiltily remembered that she'd completely forgotten to reply to his text; and she'd been replying to his texts all day, sending new ones as quickly as he texted back.

She answered with a sheepish look on her face, despite the fact he couldn't see her.

"Hello?"

"Quinn!" The relief in his voice was palpable, and she winced; he'd obviously been worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern thick in his voice; and she couldn't help but smile, flattered that he cared about her already.

"I'm fine; just the usual drama. Rachel being herself. I kinda lost it at her." Jeff let out a breath of relief, and Quinn flushed lightly. He really _had_ been worried.

"I hope you really laid into her; from what Kurt told us about her last year, she sounds terrible." Quinn grinned lightly, transferring her phone to her other hand when she reached her car to fish for her keys.

"Yeah; she really is. And is slapping her good enough?" Jeff laughed through the phone, and her grin widened as she set her bag down in the passenger seat. She switched her phone to speaker before setting it on the dashboard and sliding into the drivers seat, shutting the door behind her.

"Yes, it's definitely good enough." Jeff responded, and Quinn grinned, pulling out of her space.

She could hear Jeff's hesitation before he spoke again, voice soft through the phone.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Quinn paused, glancing at her phone; before sighing softly.

"I don't know anymore." She murmured; and continued before he could speak.

"It's just – the last two years of my life have been so _screwed up_. And I want to sort myself out, have a school year where I don't spend all year feeling crap about myself; no cheerleading, no worrying about being popular. To start with, no Glee, either; I couldn't cope with the drama. I rejoined because I missed hanging out with Mercedes and Kurt, and because Blaine's a really nice guy, and I want to get to know him better. But Mercedes is gone, and Finn is ripping into Blaine for no reason, and...And I don't remember a time when I didn't hate this. When I didn't hate spending an hour every day sat in a room full of people who don't know me any more. Some of them think I'm just going to turn back into the girl I was at the start of Sophomore year; bitchy head cheerleader, who made everyone get out of her way with just a look. The others think I'm an emotional wreck; that all the stuff that happened last year has torn me up so much that I cry myself to sleep every night. None of them have really tried to figure out who I am now; not even Kurt and Blaine, although it's never been their job, and I know they'll accept me no matter what way I go. And I don't know what to think about that." There was silence from the other end of the phone for the moment, and Quinn flushed lightly, thinking she'd weirded him out by getting emotional.

When he spoke, it wasn't what she'd expected.

"You were head cheerleader?" Quinn giggled, and Jeff laughed as well; before his tone sobered as he began talking again.

"I don't want to tell you what to feel, because that's not right; you need to figure that out for yourself. But what I can tell you is that you should only be doing stuff that makes you happy. If that's not the New Directions anymore, screw that. Drop out, join debate club or something. And get yourself some new friends, Quinn. From the sounds of things, you've only got about three in that school; and you need more. Start hanging out with the AV club or something; they're usually a cool bunch." Quinn laughed at his words, and when he spoke again she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm not telling you to drop Mercedes, or Kurt and Blaine; just...talk to some new people. Make yourself a new group. And come visit us at Dalton on Saturday; Harry really wants you to meet Pratik, and Nick's got half the Warblers asking after you." Quinn smiled at the thought of the Warblers; a marginally more functional, but much kinder, group than she was sure the New Directions had been in a while.

Jeff's voice was soft when he spoke again.

"Let us be part of your new group, Quinn. We don't bite." Quinn laughed softly; before smiling at her phone as she parked her car.

"I'll come knocking at eleven?" She offered; and giggled when Jeff hissed in triumph.

"Yes; you do that. It'll give us time to lock up Eric; it probably won't be very effective, but there's no harm in trying." Quinn giggled again; before leaning forward to rest her head on the steering wheel.

"Thank you, Jeff." She murmured softly; and he hesitated for only a moment before replying.

"You're welcome, Quinn; call me whenever you need to." Quinn smiled to herself.

"Will do."

* * *

><p>Jeff grinned to himself as he hung up, sliding his phone back into the pocket of his slacks, before he headed back into the common room, settling back into his seat beside Nick. The dark haired Warbler offered him an arch look.<p>

"Everything okay?" Jeff just shrugged at his friend.

"New Directions stress; she slapped Rachel." Nick let out a low whistle, while Harry – sat across the room, Pratik hugged against his chest as the smaller boy played scales on his guitar – called over to them.

"Do I need to punch someone?" Jeff rolled his eyes, while Nick just grinned.

"You couldn't if you tried, Takashima." He declared; and the look Harry shot him was venomous. Pratik just plucked out the chorus for 'Tell Me Why'; and Harry rolled his eyes affectionately at his boyfriend's song choice, before looking back at Jeff.

"Pratik wants to know why she slapped her." He offered; and Jeff smiled briefly at the Indian boy.

"She's like Eric, but female." He stated; and the others snorted, while he just chuckled softly – before his smile faded and he frowned.

"I think she's just a little bit at a loss for how to deal with all the drama going on in there at the moment. I mean, we know from Kurt that she had a baby in Sophomore year, and according to her last year was just as stressful. It sounds like no one's really bothering to see how she's coping with things; and I guess that's one thing that can really get you down." The others all nodded, sobering with his words; before Nick spoke up.

"But she's coming to visit on Saturday, right?" Jeff grinned at his friend.

"Of course; no one can resist my charm." He sniffed importantly; and laughed when Nick hit him with a pillow, holding his arms over his head for protection. Harry rolled his eyes at the pair, pressing his lips to Pratik's neck, while his boyfriend smiled and began to play 'Accidently in Love'.

Jeff sat up when he heard the song; and frowned when Pratik winked at him.

"What are you insinuating, Kapoor?" Pratik shrugged, before paying a song Jeff didn't recognise; and which caused him to frown when Harry grinned.

"A golden girl with golden hair." The Japanese boy sang; and Jeff crossed his arms, flopping back against the cushions of the couch.

"Not appreciated, Kapoor." He called out; and the others laughed, while the blonde boy just pouted, grumbling about needing new friends under his breath.

* * *

><p>Quinn hesitated as she stood at the piano, lightly running her fingertips over the keys.<p>

Glee had finished early that Friday; with Santana and Brittany defecting to the Trouble Tones, no one had really been up to hanging around. Yes, that Rory kid had been good, and he seemed like a sweet guy – sweet enough to spend ages picking the marshmallows out of boxes of Lucky Charms just so Brittany would notice him – but he wasn't about to replace those they'd lost; not by half.

Besides which, Quinn had had trouble with the hypocrisy Finn had displayed by bringing the boy in; he had effectively, during the course of the week, shot Blaine down, before _acting on the very idea he rejected_.

She hadn't been surprised by the slightly affronted look on Blaine's face; and she'd even gone so far as to squeeze his shoulder with a smile.

She'd been glad of the smiles she received from him and Kurt in response.

But she now had the choir room to herself; she'd told Brad and the band she'd be fine without them, and wasn't about to launch into a power ballad which required them to hang around.

Instead, she sat at the keys, and carefully began to play.

She'd loved it when they'd performed True Colours in Sophomore year; it was one of her favourite songs. But the vocalising and the way it had been arranged to be slightly more up-beat than the Eva Cassidy version...it had almost ruined it for her. In Quinn's mind, that song had always been intended to be a solo; one voice, with a small band for back up.

So now she sat at the piano, playing the melody for the song, and singing softly, voice rising above the music.

"I see your true colours, shining through. I see your true colours, and that's why I love you. So don't be afraid to let them show; your true colours. Your true colours are beautiful. Like a rainbow." Quinn got so into the song, playing and singing without hesitation, that she didn't see the other girl stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest as she leant against the frame.

When Quinn finished the song, voice ringing through the room, she let her fingers slide of the keys, smiling to herself; before she jumped as the girl at the door spoke.

"Your voice is really good, Quinn." The blonde girl turned quickly to look at Mercedes, expression deceptively blank.

"What do you want, 'Cedes?" She asked, voice soft; and the girl walked further into the room, before actually sitting with Quinn at the piano.

"I want to know why you're still here. We both know you're never going to get a spotlight for yourself with Rachel still around; so why hang around? I mean, I know you're friends with Kurt and Blaine, but are you seriously going to spend your time around Rachel and Finn just to spend some more time with them? It seems like a waste to me." The smile Quinn gave her was humourless.

"Santana and Brittany not enough for you, 'Cedes? Do you want to break apart our club a little more? Because if you are, I suggest you go for Kurt or Blaine instead; with all the conflict with Finn and Rachel, they'd be pretty easy targets." Quinn turned her attention back to the piano, lightly stroking the keys.

"I'm considering leaving Glee all together." She whispered. Mercedes frowned at her.

"But you only just rejoined the New Directions; why would you leave again?" Quinn glanced at her, smiling bitterly, before looking back at the piano and playing the introduction to Tears to Shed.

"You haven't been here lately, 'Cedes. Finn's using every opportunity to chew out Blaine; Rachel's her usual obnoxious self...I can't stand all the drama. I've had enough of trying to keep up with everyone in the New Directions. I've been doing it for _two years_, and it ruined the only good thing I've ever had last year. I just want a stress free year for once." Mercedes continued to frown at her; and Quinn sighed, turning to look at her properly.

"Mercedes, when I was pregnant with Beth, you were the only person who really cared about me. You held my hair out of my face when I was throwing up everywhere, you helped me find things to satisfy my weird cravings...and we stayed friends all last year. But you've been living in this dramatic world, full of relationship troubles and stupid little conflicts longer than I have; you've adjusted to it. It's normal to you. But it isn't for me. I want my Senior year to be about me. I want to walk into school and not have to worry that some couple split up over night and we're all going to have to spend rehearsal picking up the pieces. Beside which, you are my only real, long-term friend. With you gone, I can't remember why I joined this club again. And now Britt's gone...she was what kept us optimistic, Mercedes. You know what I've taken to calling the weird friendship she and Blaine formed? The Sunshine Twins. Because they're so _positive_. You should have seen when Blaine did Last Friday Night; everyone just lit up. It was like the few good days we had last year again." Quinn smiled as she thought about the performance; it really had been wonderful.

But then her smile faded, and she glanced back at Mercedes.

"But now we've lost Britt too. Rory's not going to replace either of you. And I can't sit here and watch Rachel and Finn make everyone else feel crap about themselves just for the sake of a couple of friendships which aren't entirely hinged on Glee in the first place." Quinn shut the lid to the keys, before getting to her feet, offering Mercedes a nervous smile.

"I haven't made the decision yet; we'll see if anything changes over the weekend. But I won't be joining the Trouble Tones, 'Cedes. As dysfunctional as it is, New Directions is still my family. And I could never betray them like that." She turned and strode from the room, leaving Mercedes at the piano, watching her go.

* * *

><p>Quinn stood nervously in the entrance to Dalton, looking around the front reception nervously. It was certainly lavish; lots of dark wood, and decorative vases filled with fresh-cut flowers. The woman sat behind the desk was elderly but kind looking, her silver hair tied into a bun, with silver wire-rimmed glasses on the edge of her nose.<p>

The blonde girl was considering asking the woman where she could find the dorms – that or texting one of the boys for directions – when someone called her name; and she turned in the direction of the voice, only to be pulled into a hug by Nick, who even went so far as to lift her off the ground, spinning her around, causing her to giggle helplessly.

When he set her down, she clutched his arm, a little dizzy, and giggled breathlessly.

"Gosh, Nick; I suggest you only do that rarely." She offered with a giggle, and he grinned at her, before twirling her so she was facing the direction of what she assumed was the dorms, and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.

"This way, milady." He gestured with a grin, and she rolled her eyes.

"Such a gentleman." She offered with a grin, allowing herself to be led away from the reception and in the direction of the dorms; again, made of old-looking brick with large windows and tall, dark-wood doors.

She was beginning to wish Dalton did accept girls, because so far it looked like a wonderful school.

Nick led her into the dorms, nodding at a couple of boys stood in the foyer, before he steered her down a hallway, and to a pair of doors she assumed must lead to a common room of some sort. When he nudged open the doors, Quinn grinned at the sight of Jeff, opening her mouth to call out to him; only for Nick to clap a hand over her mouth.

She scowled at him; but he just grinned, and pressed a finger to his lips before he released her; and she obediently stayed quiet as Jeff and the Indian boy he was sat beside began to play the guitars sat in their laps.

Quinn glanced at Nick curiously – she hadn't known Jeff could play guitar – but the boy just grinned and nodded back at the pair.

She barely managed to stop the grin spreading across his face when Jeff began to sing, the other boy harmonising.

"This girl that moved just up the road from me, she had the nicest legs I've ever seen..." She tilted her head as she watched Jeff and the boy sing, eyes sparkling.

Jeff was _really_ good.

She was trying to figure out how he could have auditioned six times – as Kurt had told her – and yet not gotten a solo. Last year, even Lauren had gotten a solo in the New Directions; and the girl herself would have been the first to admit she wasn't amazing.

Quinn was startled when Harry suddenly appeared from behind the couch the two boys were sat on, and jumped over the back to sit behind the Indian boy, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's waist and resting his chin on his shoulder.

She smiled at that sight; so this must be Pratik.

Nick glanced at the girl from out of the corner of his eye; and grinned when he saw the smile on her face, and the way her eyes remained mostly on Jeff.

Nick's best friend had dealt with a lot over the last year; he really deserved something good. And as far as Nick was concerned, Quinn could be that thing.

He frowned, however, as her smile faded with the beginning of the second verse.

"Now she's got pregnant with her baby, it feels like she's slipping away from me..." Quinn absently pressed a hand to her abdomen, unwillingly remembering when she'd been pregnant with Beth; how it had felt when she'd kicked, how attached she'd grown to her baby – only to give her away.

Shelby had offered to let Quinn visit Beth when the woman had first started teaching at McKinley; she'd tried to give Quinn pictures, suggested she visited with Puck.

Quinn had turned down the offer; and had only taken one picture, which was now framed on her bedside table.

She'd told the truth when she exploded at Rachel; she didn't want to screw up Beth's life. It was better for everyone if she didn't see her baby again.

If she didn't see _Shelby's_ baby again.

She'd retreated so far into her thoughts that she didn't notice the boys on the couch had stopped playing; and she was only drawn out of her thoughts when Jeff lightly touched her elbow. She jumped as she realised he'd walked over to stand beside her, before smiling nervously.

"Sorry. Zoned out." Jeff just frowned at her.

"Are you okay?" Quinn's smile faded, and she shrugged.

"I guess; nothing a couple of hours without Rachel Berry around won't fix." Jeff's expression told her she wasn't going to avoid a proper conversation that easily – and she bristled a little, annoyed that this boy(who was, admittedly, extremely sweet and seemed to care more than anyone else) thought he had the right to interrogate her despite knowing her for less than a week – but then Harry was calling her, waving from behind his boyfriend; who rolled his eyes good-naturedly. She glanced at Jeff, scowling at him – and blinking in surprise when he just grinned – before moving round him to sit beside Harry and Pratik.

Pratik smiled at her, reaching out to shake her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you." He offered softly; and Quinn smiled back at him.

"You too. Harry doesn't stop talking about you." A blush crept up over Pratik's cheek, and when Harry laughed and made to press his nose into the crook of the smaller boy's neck, Pratik elbowed him in the ribs.

"You're a jerk, Takashima." He murmured; and Quinn giggled when Harry pouted, tightening his grip around Pratik's waist.

"Forgive me?" The Japanese boy asked softly, breath ghosting over Pratik's neck; and the smaller boy shut his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath – before he nodded quickly, and Harry grinned, pressing his lips to Pratik's skin.

"You're still a jerk." He mumbled, and Harry's grin widened.

"You love it." He declared, and Pratik rolled his eyes, plucking out the melody for what Quinn recognised as 'These Things I'll Never Say', and the blonde girl grinned; before looking at Jeff curiously when he dropped onto the arm of the chair beside her, having deposited his guitar in a corner of the room.

"How come you didn't tell me you play?" She asked, and Jeff grinned at her.

"Known each other for less than a week, Quinn; I was getting there." She just arched an eyebrow at him elegantly, clasping her hands in her lap.

"I've know Harry for less than a week, and yet I know he sings lead for a band called Team/Blu, he can't stand Taylor Swift, he and Pratik will have been dating for eight months on the eighth of November, and that he's so whipped it's not even funny." Nick snorted from his place on the couch opposite the other four, and Pratik grinned, humming that's the truth; while Harry just rolled his eyes.

"I have no friends." He stated dully; and an indignant cry came from the doorway, drawing all their attentions.

David fell against Wes, who held him tightly.

"You wound us, Harry." David declared, and Wes nodded seriously.

"Even Blaine was never so cruel as you." The Asian boy declared solemnly; and Nick frowned at them.

"Blaine regularly declared a hatred of you and all things _involving_ you. How is that not more cruel than Harry declaring he has no friends?" David and Wes moved to sit on either side of Nick, their expressions equally serious.

"Whatever Blaine said, he said with the kindest intentions. He loves us. As does Double Oh." Wes declared.

"Spah." David supplied sadly; and Quinn watched both of them, bemused.

"I though Kurt was joking when he said they were insane." She told Jeff softly; and he grinned at her, prompting a blush to creep over her cheeks.

"You haven't met Eric yet." He offered; and she winced, remembering what Kurt and Blaine had told her about the 'lithe' red-head, and prompting Jeff to chuckle softly.

"Don't scare her, Jeff; she'll never come back!" Nick whined; and Quinn grinned at him, while Jeff just rolled his eyes; and smiled when another uniform-clad boy walked into the room.

"Hey Seb." He offered; and the boy smiled at him, nodding quickly, his hands in his pockets.

"Jeff." Wes twisted in the grip David currently had on him to frown at the boy.

"Didn't you have a date?" Sebastian just shrugged, perching on the arm of the couch.

"It finished after half an hour; not my type." He grinned when Wes and David rolled their eyes, before turning to look at Quinn, expression curious. Jeff smiled at his friend.

"Seb, meet Quinn. She'd from McKinley; you know, the public school Blaine goes to now?" Quinn didn't miss the way Sebastian sat up straighter at the mention of Blaine, but nodded at him politely.

Wes and David, however, just rolled their eyes.

"Stop your pining, pretty boy. You'd be wasting your time even _trying_ to date our prodigal leader." Wes stated; and David's expression dropped.

"Our great and fearless leader." The boy whispered; before letting out a dramatic sob and burying his face in Wes' shoulder, while the other boy stroked his back soothingly.

Harry frowned at the pair.

"You two confuse me." He stated; but they ignored him, David continuing to sob while Wes comforted him.

Sebastian just smiled at Wes' comment.

"I don't give up that easily, Wes." He stated; and Quinn frowned, opening her mouth to inform the boy that Blaine has a _boyfriend_, only for Jeff to put a hand on her arm, smiling at her.

"Don't waste your breath. It'll take more than warnings of a boyfriend to put off Seb; he's like your friend Santana that way." Quinn looked momentarily amused by the comparison; before frowning as Jeff continued to watch her.

When he spoke, his voice was low.

"I know you don't want to talk about why you zoned out earlier, Quinn; but it'll help if you do. And I want to help you." Quinn watched him for a moment; before smiling a little sadly, and squeezing the hand he still had on her arm.

"Maybe in the future, Jeff. But not yet. There are some things I don't talk about with people I've only known for under a week." Jeff pouted, and Quinn giggled softly.

Her giggles turned into proper laughter, when a cushion, thrown by Nick, hit Jeff in the face; and the blonde boy groaned dramatically, before flopping onto Quinn's shoulder.

"You can't hog her, Jeff! She's our friend too!" Nick pouted at Quinn, who grinned at him; before squeaking when Jeff wrapped his arms around her, glaring at his best friend.

"Screw you, Three. She's mine."

He internally cheered at the blush which crept over her cheeks.

* * *

><p>Quinn hummed absently to herself as she walked down the hall, smiling as she replied to the texts she had been constantly receiving from the Warblers all morning.<p>

Surprising both herself, and probably Nick and Jeff too, she'd made fast friends with Sebastian; he wasn't a bad guy. Admittedly, he was a little intense – and his pining over Blaine, who she'd found out he'd only met once, made her roll her eyes without fail – and when Jeff had said he was Santana-esque he'd been right; Sebastian's list of past boyfriends was impressive, and _long_. But Quinn enjoyed talking to him. She'd spent part of Sunday just talking to him and Jeff while Pratik and Harry were on a date and Nick was doing homework.

As it turned out, Sebastian had never really been bullied the way Kurt had. Sure, he'd been called names; but the school he'd gone to had been surprisingly tolerant. He'd only transferred to Dalton because his family had moved to Ohio; and there was enough people who cared about homophobia in the media for his parents to realise sending him to public school would have been a bad idea.

He'd auditioned for the Warblers at the first opportunity; and had gotten in. And there he'd met Jeff and the others, and made friends with them.

He thought that Harry and Pratik were the cutest couple he'd ever seen; and agreed with everyone that sometime Wes and David breached the line between heterosexual life partners and secretly dating.

And he had an adopted sister; Maddy. And she went to McKinley.

Quinn rolled her eyes at the text she'd just received.

_Have you met her yet? S_

Quinn typed back a reply that, _no_, she hadn't yet met the other girl, before she turned into the door she knew lead to the back stage of the auditorium, where all the costumes lived.

She'd just entered, when a girl with soft, light brown curls grabbed her by the hand and pulled her over to where a row of mannequins were stood, all dressed in costumes that were in various states of completion.

"So, this will be yours." The girl stated, pointing at a lilac dress with a full shirt; off the shoulder and tight around the waist, like she'd heard Rachel demand the girls should be dressed in.

"Do I know you?" Quinn asked the girl, confused; and the grin she was flashed had her blinking.

Because that was Sebastian's grin.

"I'm Maddy. Seb said you'd be coming down; something about getting sick of the drama of the New Directions. Which I'm not surprised about, considering at the moment you're the only girl but for Tina and Rachel Berry. You should have come to see us earlier; despite being reclusive, we costume girls don't bite, and we love new friends." Quinn blinked at the words rushing from the girl's mouth; but then a red-head, her curls pinned to the top of her head, looked up from the sowing machine she was working at.

"Don't scare her off, Maddy. Sammi says she wants her to be our new photographer; we need one since Laura moved to Michigan." Quinn looked at the girl curiously, before smiling a little nervously.

"I took a couple of lessons in photography last year." She offered; and Maddy clapped her hands happily, while the red head rolled her eyes and got to her feet, moving to shake Quinn's hand.

"I'm Kerry; and I'm also probably the sanest one here. Maddy you've met; the others are Sammi, who's in charge, Lisa, whose speciality is detailing, and Carmen, who does body art. Maddy is best at modern styles; I'm good at historical stuff. I would have died happy if we were doing Romeo and Juliet in its original context rather than West Side Story; but the way things are going it looks like I'm going to be in College before I get that opportunity." Quinn smiled at Kerry, who just shrugged lightly; before she grabbed a camera off a table behind Quinn, and placed it in the blonde girl's hands.

"Take some pictures of the costumes Maddy has already finished; she'll point out the ones." Kerry headed back to her sowing machine; but called back to Quinn as the blonde turned to let Maddy direct her.

"And Quinn?" Quinn's blue eyes met the other girl's brown ones; and Kerry grinned.

"Welcome to the club; you're officially a costume girl."

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Update! Yaaayyy. :)**

**I can't promise the next one will be this fast.**

**Thank you for the reviews; they really were wonderful.**

**If I survive The First Time, that should be up soon. **

**Again, neither Glee nor Spah! and therefore most of the Warblers are mine. Costume girls; yes.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Two<span>

Build-Up

Quinn hummed absently as she re-arranged the books in her locker, drumming her fingers on the door and tilting her head to the side once they were done. She smiled in satisfaction at her own organisation – she always been proud of herself, being a generally neat person – before she closed her locker; and jumped when her moved door revealed a girl half an inch shorter than her, dark hair tied into a single braid down her back.

"Quinn, right?" She asked, her thick British accent surprising the blonde; but Quinn nodded nervously all the same, and the girl smiled briefly.

"I'm Sammi. Maddy and Kerry said you're interested in becoming our new photographer?" Quinn frowned at her girl – Kerry had described Sammi...differently – before nodding again; and Sammi grinned in a way which made her understand what Kerry had meant when she said 'optimistic'.

Optimism practically shone from this girl.

"That's great; we've needed a photographer since Laura left. Do you have a Polaroid camera? We usually use them for story boards." Quinn looked around the hall, surprised that the pair of them were pretty much alone now, before she nodded.

"Uh, yeah. I've got lots of film, too." Sammi looked absolutely ecstatic at the news, and lightly grasped Quinn's arm at the elbow, turning her to lead her in the direction of the auditorium.

"That's _great_. It means we can get started straight away." Quinn blinked at the girl, but allowed her to tow her along.

She understood what Maddy had meant by 'to the point'.

Quinn glanced in the choir room as they walked past, and smiled at Kurt, waving at him and expecting to keep walking; but Sammi pulled her to a stop, and stuck her head in the room.

"Mr Shuester?" Mr Shue looked up from where he had been working with Rachel, and frowned at the dark haired girl, while Quinn moved to stand beside her and look over the other New Directions, swapping grins with Blaine; she'd spoken to him about meeting the Warblers, and he'd been over the moon that she was making friends with them.

She'd carefully ignored him when he'd dropped hints about Jeff, trying – and failing – not to blush.

"Can I help you?" Mr Shue asked, obviously not recognising Sammi; and Quinn saw the way the girl's spine stiffened, despite the smile which remained on her face.

"I wanted to ask when Rachel and the others are coming down to the costume room for their measurements; unless you want all their costumes to be ill-fitting, it needs to be soon." Mr Shue's expression seemed to clear as he realised who Sammi was, before he nodded; dismissively, Quinn noted with a frown.

"I'll send Rachel down later, and the others will follow later today." He looked away from Sammi, and Quinn noticed the way her hand tightened on the door frame, frown growing; until Blaine spoke up.

"When do you want me down there, Sammi? I'll probably be free for the rest of the afternoon." Sammi grinned at him, and Quinn smiled gratefully; and grinned when he winked, before turning back to Sammi, who was arranging a time.

"That should be fine." Blaine offered with a grin; and Sammi smiled at him, before she looked over what he was wearing and smirked.

"You're going to have to wear socks with your costume, though, Blaine." The boy pouted at her words, but she just smirked, before taking hold of Quinn's arm and pulling her from the room, back in the direction of the costume room.

Quinn watched the other girl hesitantly for a moment.

"Does Mr Shue always treat you like that?" Sammi glanced back at Quinn, before smiling briefly.

"We costume designers and makers are unimportant to actors and whatever; they'll turn up for fittings and to get their measurements done, but that's it. If you're in costume you learn to deal with being ignored; but you also become pretty stubborn. If they don't like the costume that's their problem; they should have been more involved in the designing." Quinn watched Sammi carefully, taking note of the bitterness of her tone; but then the girl smiled briefly.

"Of course, there are some actors who actually care; and they make up for all the other ones." Quinn was about to open her mouth to respond; but then they were walking into the costume room, and Maddy strode up to them, grabbing their hands and pulling them over to a mannequin dressed in sheer baby blue fabric.

Quinn admired the dress – it really was beautifully made – but then Sammi and Maddy were talking.

"I don't want her wearing this; I spent ages on it, and it will look terrible on her." Sammi frowned at the dress, tilting her head; before nodding at Maddy's words.

"I see what you mean. The cut's good, but for Rachel we're going to need mid-length sleeves, and the fabric is going to have to be different. She'll have to wear white or a much darker colour, and the fabric's too sheer. If we've got some kind of cotton blend somewhere that would be good, otherwise it'll have to be something stiffer." Maddy nodded, flashing a grin at Quinn before she turned to walk away; and Sammi grinned at the blonde before leading her towards the back of the room.

She stood with her back pressed against a cupboard door.

"I am going to show you something only the costume girls have seen; because everyone else would thing it was borderline creepy. I'm sure you understand by now that each of us have some kind of wish that we could dress everyone before they come to school – or even before they leave their bedrooms. I am a little more..._vocal_, shall we say." Sammi watched Quinn carefully; and when the girl just arched an eyebrow elegantly, she nodded, before throwing open the door and switching on the light in the cupboard.

The cupboard was almost the same size as the room it branched from, the walls lined with rails filled with plastic-wrapped costumes, and at the back, four mannequins were set up, fully dressed – two male, two female.

Sammi laughed a little nervously from behind Quinn.

"Look at the labels." She offered; and Quinn glanced back at her, before obediently moving to a rack and peering at the label stapled to the front of one of the plastic-wrapped costumes.

She blinked at what she found.

_Rachel Berry_

She glanced back at Sammi – who blushed – before moving along the row, reading all the other labels.

Each one was labelled with the name of a New Direction; there were even some for Matt, and for Sam. The only exceptions were a rail with the names of the Warblers on them. Sammi walked up to stand beside Quinn, and gestured at one of the male mannequins, dressed in grey slacks and a waist coat, with a white shirt, a black tie, and a grey pin-striped fedora sat on top.

"If I could dress Mike Chang he would wear either that exact outfit or things similar every day of his life." The girl sighed, and tilted her head lightly.

"I've been crushing on him since Freshman year." She murmured a little wistfully; and Quinn glanced at her, before looking back at the mannequin.

"A pink shirt would look better on Mike." She offered; and Sammi blinked at her, before shrieking happily and throwing herself at the blonde; who just giggled, and hugged her back.

Quinn could deal with slightly strange quirks if it meant she could make friends with someone as sweet as Sammi.

* * *

><p>Quinn smiled absently to herself as she read the text she'd just received, hitching her bag up higher on her shoulder as she walked down the hallway. Glee had ended about ten minutes ago; she'd just gone to collect her homework, and was now texting Jeff – she was supposed to be meeting him at the Westerville coffee shop where they'd first met.<p>

_How soon do you think you're going to get here? The Barista keeps giving me these looks. D: J_

The blonde girl turned down the hall, heading in the direction of the exit.

_She's probably just overwhelmed by your devastating charm and good looks. ;) Q_

Quinn glanced into one of the classrooms she was passing; and paused when she saw a familiar dark head of hair, stood opposite Mercedes, Santana and Brittany. The easily distracted blonde cheerleader waved at her happily, and Quinn smiled in response, waving back before she turned to the message she'd just received.

_Good looks, huh? ;D J_

She giggled softly, pressing her fingers to her lips and blushing lightly, before quickly typing back a reply.

_Yeah, I guess. If you go for that kind of thing. Q_

Quinn had just reached the doors when someone called her name.

"Quinn! Quinn, wait!" The blonde girl turned; only to wince internally when she saw Shelby walking toward her quickly, heels clacking on the linoleum floor.

"Yes, Miss Corcoran?" She kept her voice as emotionless as she could, resisting the urge to run away from the woman who was raising her baby. Shelby just frowned at the formality, before she spoke.

"I wanted to re-extend my offer. I want you to be part of Beth's life, Quinn. She needs her mom." Quinn's response was sharp.

"She has her mom. _You're_ her mom. Not me. I'm just the stupid kid who gave birth to her." Shelby frowned at the teenager's words, taking a step forward.

"You really think having her was a mistake?" Quinn scoffed at Shelby's words, shaking her head.

"She's not the problem; I am. I screwed up my own life. I'm not going to wreck hers too." Quinn turned to go, adjusting her bag again; but once again, she was stopped by Shelby.

"Shouldn't she be the judge of that?" Quinn sighed, shutting her eyes, but didn't turn around.

She heard Shelby walk up behind her.

"Come and see her. Babysit for one afternoon. If she doesn't like you, and you don't change your mind, fine. Disappear out of her life forever. But give it a chance. Puck's been round a couple of times already." The deep breath that whooshed out of Quinn was defeated.

"One afternoon." She murmured reluctantly; before she walked out of the school, leaving the legal guardian of her daughter smiling behind her.

* * *

><p>Jeff got to his feet, pulling Quinn into a hug, before they both slid into the booth he'd claimed, facing one another. Quinn drank a mouthful of her coffee, before smiling at Jeff, glancing significantly at the pretty brunette Barista stood behind the counter – she kept throwing glances Jeff's way, and smiled shyly whenever he met her gaze.<p>

"She's pretty." Quinn observed with a smile; and Jeff grimaced.

"She's also the cousin of one of the Warblers, and I know for a fact her cousin would beat me up if I even leaned in the direction of dating her." The boy offered Quinn a brief smirk, before swallowing some of his own coffee.

"Besides, I prefer blondes." Quinn flushed crimson at his words, and attempted to hide her blush by drinking more of her coffee; but Jeff just laughed, leaning back in his seat.

"How's Warbler rehearsal going?" She asked, attempting to change the subject; and while Jeff's smirk told her he knew what she was doing – and made her blush darken – he willingly began to talk about how things were going.

How Wes and David had deflated since Blaine had left, but Sebastian – and, surprisingly, Nick – had stepped up to try and replace him, and weren't doing to badly in his place.

He'd started to get into detail about how Mr Matthews – who she'd learnt was their music teacher, and led the choir in the same way Mr Shue did with the New Directions – had given them more freedom to act alone this year, when a woman with a pram walked into the shop, heading to the counter to buy a drink for herself.

Quinn watched the woman a little wistfully; and when she claimed a table, and took her baby out of the pram, the blonde girl rested her chin on a hand, tilting her head as she watched. She was imagining what it would have been like had she kept Beth; if she would have taken her with her into coffee shops, and fed her pieces of biscotti. If she would have dressed her in too many layers out of fear she'd catch a cold, or if she'd be the opposite and not dress her warmly enough – and then try to compensate by covering her with blankets.

She didn't realise Jeff had stopped talking until he reached out and lightly touched the back of her hand, frowning at her, concerned.

"Quinn?" She blinked out of her daydream, glancing at the boy, before smiling apologetically.

"Sorry. Zoned out again." Her smile was nervous, and Jeff's frown deepened, while he kept his hand on the back of hers.

"Where'd you go?" He asked softly. Quinn opened her mouth to say she didn't want to talk about it; but then took in the concern in his expression, the way he was leaning across the table, and the gentle grip of his hand on hers. She blushed at the intensity in his eyes, looking down.

"Did...did Kurt ever tell you about me? About what happened in Sophomore year?" Jeff's expression seemed to clear slightly, and he nodded.

"You had a baby; a little girl." Quinn smiled bitterly, and pulled her hand from beneath Jeff's to turn her coffee cup between both her hands.

"Her name is Beth." She murmured softly; and Jeff continued to watch her carefully, not wanting to do anything which would make her close up again.

"Her adoptive mom...she...she used to be Vocal Adrenaline's coach; Shelby Corcoran. She teaches at McKinley now; coaches the Trouble Tones, the new glee club." Jeff nodded at her words; before understanding slipped across his face.

"She asked you if you wanted to see Beth." Quinn hunched her shoulders lightly at his words, and he flinched, worried he'd gone to far, forced her to close off; but then she spoke again.

"I said no at first; I messed up the last two years of my life. I didn't want to do that to Beth; didn't want to mess up her life the way I wrecked mine. But Shelby asked again today, and I couldn't...I couldn't make myself refuse her." She finished in a whisper; and Jeff got to his feet, moving to sit beside her. He took hold of one of her hands, squeezing it between his.

"That doesn't make you weak, Quinn." Her smile, directed at her coffee, was sarcastic, but Jeff was determined to make her understand, his gaze intense, voice serious.

"No, Quinn, listen to me. The fact that you said no the first time you were asked shows how much you care; especially considering how badly you must want to see her. You carried her _inside of you_ for nine months, for goodness sakes! It would be impossible for you to do that and _not_ feel some kind of attachment to her." Quinn's sarcastic response was half-hearted.

"I guess you've never heard of post-natal depression?" Jeff just smiled briefly, squeezing Quinn's hand again.

"Funny. But it's not weak to want to see your daughter; surviving being away from her for over a year – that takes strength. And it's natural to zone out when you see something which reminds you of her; next time, don't apologise." Quinn glanced up at him; and Jeff was shocked to see the tears filling her eyes, before she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shirt.

"Thank you." She whispered, and Jeff smiled, lightly rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"It's fine." He murmured; and he watched her carefully when she sat up quickly, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her wrist.

"God, I'm sorry. I've probably got mascara all over your shirt." Jeff laughed, and grinned at her.

"Don't worry about it; I've got loads more back at Dalton." Quinn smiled briefly; before it faded, and she lightly bit down on her bottom lip.

"Can I ask you something really inappropriate for a friend I've only know for just over a week?" Jeff blinked, before smiling a little nervously.

"Well, we just had a conversation about your daughter which resulted in you crying into my shirt; so I guess we're well into the territory of inappropriate for friends of only just over a week. Why the hell not?" Quinn giggled a little helplessly, before her smile faded again, and she glanced down at the table.

"Would you babysit Beth with me?" She asked softly; and Jeff watched her for a moment, before he smiled and reached out to take her hand.

"Of course." He murmured softly.

* * *

><p>Quinn looked over the shelf of plush toys, her expression lost. Beside her, Kerry smiled briefly, before reaching out to pick up a soft yellow duck. She admired it with a smile.<p>

"I loved ducks when I was a kid." She offered, and Harry, who was stood on Quinn's other side, an arm wrapped around Pratik's waist, snorted.

"Please. Everyone knows babies love giraffes; that's why they sell so many." As if to emphasis his point, Harry gestured at the large section of the soft-toy display dedicated to giraffes of different styles; but Pratik shook his head at his boyfriend's words.

"They're gender-neutral toys, Harry. That's the reason so many people buy them; same for ducks." The Indian boy peered around his gaping boyfriend to look at Quinn.

"You should get her a rabbit. Rabbits are girl-associated." Wes peeked over the shelf, from where he was looking at the toys on the other side.

"Hey!" He exclaimed; David popped up beside him.

"We love rabbits!" The boy declared; and Harry rolled his eyes.

"And what does that say about you?" He offered smugly; but before the pair could retaliate, Quinn muttered in frustration.

"Not helping." Sammi sauntered up to stand beside her, threading an arm through the blonde girl's.

"I had a Bambi toy when I was little; still have it now. We could always head down to the Disney store?" Some of the others perked up at the idea, but Quinn just shook her head.

"I want to get her something personal." She stated, eyes lingering on a soft blue penguin; and Kerry nodded decisively.

"That's understandable; but I don't think you'll find anything too unique here. This is all mass-produced stuff." Practically on cue, Nick and Jeff ran into the store, the later grinning while Nick just panted heavily, hands on his knees.

Sammi grinned at the brunette.

"You're so unfit, Nick." She stated with a smirk; and giggled when he scowled, before moving to grab his elbow, pulling him back over to Quinn.

"There's a market outside, and they're selling hand made plush toys." Jeff offered, eyes meeting Quinn's; and his grin widened when her expression lit up. He took hold of her hand and led her from the store, the pair of them running ahead of the others; who all exchanged amused looks, before following at a slower pace. When they reached the stall Jeff and Nick had found earlier, Quinn almost toppled over, stopping too quickly; and Jeff pulled her back to catch her, holding her close against his chest.

Both teenagers blushed scarlet, before quickly stepping apart and looking at the homemade soft toys lined across the stall. Quinn's eyes widened as she looked over them; because this was exactly what she'd been looking for.

Her eyes were drawn to a panda sat toward the middle of the row, in white and blue, with round black buttons for eyes. When she reached out to touch it, it was incredibly soft, and a grin spread across her face.

"These are amazing." She breathed; and Jeff grinned at her, before lightly taking her by the hand and leading her around to the other side of the stall.

"I wanted to show you this one." He murmured, and pulled a particular soft toy from the row, handing it to her.

Quinn looked down at the toy, smiling brightly.

It was a cat, made of the same soft fabric the panda had been made of; but it was made up of strips of yellow and gold, with thicker, fluffier white fabric at the stomach and over the paws, and making the tip of the tail.

And the buttons which served as its eyes were glossy, and made of swirls of brown and green and gold.

She glanced up at Jeff, eyes thankful; and he grinned at her, trying to ignore the fact he was almost definitely blushing.

Sammi bounced up beside them, and grinned when she saw the cat; before tilting her head with a softer smile.

"It kinda looks like you, Quinn." She offered; and the blonde girl blushed, dropping her eyes, while Jeff just nodded.

"That's what I was thinking." He stated, and when Quinn glanced up at him, blush still present, he leant down to whisper in her ear.

"She'll remember you better if she has something that looks like you." He murmured; and Quinn barely masked the shiver which crept up her spine as his breath ghosted across her neck, while her blush darkened.

"Well then." She mumbled shyly. She looked back at the row of toys, and smiled at the toy sat on the very top of the stall. She stretched up to grab it – blushing so much she was worried she was going to burst when Jeff held onto her waist to steady her – and then, when she'd picked it up, held it up beside Jeff, grinning a little hesitantly.

The toy was a giraffe – as Harry had earlier suggested she get – and was made of cream fabric with pale brown patches.

And the buttons were brown flecked with gold – and matched Jeff's eyes perfectly.

"She should have one like you too." Quinn offered softly; and he blushed, before pulling her into a one-armed hug.

The others had all joined them at this point, and Wes and David jumped up and down enthusiastically at Quinn's words.

"We want plush animal representations of ourselves for Beth!" David declared; and the blonde pair parted, Quinn smiling at the enthusiastic pair.

"You don't have to." She offered softly; and Sammi rolled her eyes, before pulling a deer with dark brown eyes like hers from the stall.

"We want to, Quinn." She stated with a grin; and the blonde's eyes flooded with tears, and she pulled Sammi into a hug.

"Why couldn't I find all of you earlier?" She gasped into the shorter girl's hair; and Sammi laughed softly, hugging her back.

"You found us when you needed us. That's all that mattered." The British girl whispered; and the others gathered around them in a group hug, Jeff wrapping his arms around Quinn's waist from behind and setting his chin on top of her head.

"Besides, we wouldn't be nearly as interesting if you'd found us before you needed us." Kerry offered; and they all laughed, Quinn sobbing softly into Sammi's shoulder.

Because how had she survived so long without these people?

* * *

><p>Quinn hesitated in the doorway of the choir room, before she walked in and dropped into a seat beside Blaine, turning to face him and Kurt. The couple turned to regard her, a little surprised.<p>

"Yes, Quinn?" Kurt asked, arching an eyebrow in surprise. The blonde glanced away from him briefly, chewing on her bottom lip; before she took a deep breath, and looked back up at him.

"I need your advice." She offered; and Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look, before looking back at her.

"Yeah?" Blaine asked, looking a little amused; and Quinn blushed, nodding.

"I need to know how to...to get Jeff to ask me out." Kurt and Blaine both blinked in surprise; before Kurt squealed happily, and pulled her into a hug. Blaine grinned at the sight; before it slipped into a frown when Kurt released Quinn.

"Why can't you ask him yourself?" He asked; and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Don't be silly, Blaine." He scolded; and Blaine frowned, confused about how he was being silly. Kurt sat on the floor in front of Quinn, balancing his elbows on his knees so he could rest his chin in his hands.

"How long?" He asked; and her blush darkened.

"How long what?" Kurt rolled his eyes good naturedly, while Blaine turned in his chair, crossing his legs.

"How long have you liked Jeff, Quinn?" Blaine asked with a brief smile. Quinn flushed a darker red, looking down at her hands.

"Probably since he sat next to me when I first met him." She mumbled; and Blaine chuckled, Kurt opening his mouth with a grin to respond – before an unwelcome voice came from the doorway.

"Met who?" Quinn glanced up, and glared when she saw Finn stood in the doorway.

"No one, Finn. What are you doing here?" The quarter-back frowned, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"I came to ask Kurt if he wanted a lift home." Kurt's answering look was defiant.

"Blaine's giving me a lift, Finn. I told you this morning." Finn's eyes narrowed as he looked at the ex-Warbler – who shifted uncomfortably – and Quinn glared at him in response, Kurt echoing her look.

"I just wanted to check." He offered shortly; and Quinn exploded at him, getting to her feet.

"What is your _problem_, Finn?" She snapped; he turned at startled look on her.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed.

"You've been snapping at Blaine since he _got here_. I want to know what your problem with him is. You had a go at him for the piano, when it was _obviously_ not his fault; and then inferred that the he did it because it's the kind of thing the _Warblers_ do. Did your eyes temporarily give out at Sectionals and Regionals last year? Did you not see the uniforms? Dalton is a private school, Finn; a boarding school which you know better than most others costs a heck of a lot to attend. Do you seriously think they casually set fire to pianos during every performance?" Finn was stricken speechless, grasping for something to throw back at her; before he found it.

"What about you, huh? You haven't exactly been social so far this year. And what about all that stuff with Beth? Puck said you told Shelby you didn't want to see her. What's with that?" Quinn's expression darkened and she grabbed her bag, heading for the door and shoving past Finn.

"And you wonder why I'm anti-social." She snapped, before walking down the hall, the sounds of Kurt obviously having a go at Finn fading behind her.

By the time she reached the costume room, she was close to tears; and when Maddy looked up from where she was sticking pins in a mannequin, her face dropped. The brunette called back into the room.

"Hey, Carmen? How's that henna you bought last week working?" The Indian girl stood up from where she'd been searching the floor beneath a rack of costumes, blinking when she saw Quinn's expression.

"It's working great. Quinn, come on over here, would you? You can be my guinea pig." Quinn nodded quickly, approaching the girl, who pushed her into a chair as she grabbed a box near her work station.

"Lisa? Do you want to braid Quinn's hair? There are some curlers at Sammi's work space if you want to use them." Lisa was probably three inches taller than Quinn, and her hair was white blonde and straight, with bright colours streaking through it, while her eyes were round and dark. She glanced at Quinn and Carmen where they were sat together; before leaving the costume spread across her table, and heading for Sammi's desk, grabbing the curlers before she pulled a chair up behind Quinn, plugging the tongs into the plug socket in the floor.

"Stay still, honey; I don't want to burn you." Lisa's southern twang made Quinn relax immediately, and she nodded, while Carmen took hold of one of her hands and laid it on the desk, un-capping a tube of henna.

"For the next half an hour, nothing exists outside this room." Carmen declared; and Quinn allowed herself a smile, nodding.

Yeah.

Forgetting about Finn-I'm-an-ass-Hudson would be great.

* * *

><p>Quinn rocked uneasily on the balls on her feet, clutching the bag with Beth's soft toys to her chest. There was a ridiculously large amount – after hearing about the others buying toys to represent themselves Sebastian and the rest of the costume girls had insisted on buying some for themselves – but Quinn couldn't bring herself to be upset about it. Instead she just held it tighter; and blushed when Jeff reached out to tug on one of her hands and hold it tightly. He smiled at her briefly.<p>

"Calm down. Everything will be fine." He murmured; and she nodded quickly, before he reached out to ring the doorbell. Quinn's breath hitched in her throat as they heard the door being unlocked; and she froze when it opened to reveal Shelby, her hair wound up into a neat bun, looking a little flustered.

The woman smiled at Quinn; before she noticed Jeff, and frowned a little.

"Is it okay if Jeff stays too?" Quinn asked quickly; desperately. Shelby examined the lanky boy, who met her gaze steadily; before she nodded quickly.

"Of course." She offered with a smile, and pulled open the door, gesturing for them both to enter. Quinn went first, her grip on Jeff's hand like iron, and walked into the living room; only to freeze when she saw the little girl stood in the travel cot, staring at her with large hazel eyes.

Her breath stuck in her throat, and Jeff squeezed her hand tightly, before tugging her closer, and then making her kneel with him beside the cot.

Quinn stared at her daughter, eyes filling with tears.

"Hi." She whispered; and Beth reached out to touch the braid left in Quinn's hair from earlier, her touch heavy handed and clumsy.

Quinn swallowed a sob, before shakily setting down the bag, and pulling out the top-most toy; a green frog with bright, corn-flower blue eyes. She held it towards the little girl.

"We brought you some presents. This one is from a friend of mine; Maddy." Beth regarded Quinn with solemn eyes, before she took the frog and hugged it to her chest.

This time, she couldn't stop the sob escaping her lips.

Jeff wrapped an arm around her waist comfortingly, before he looked at Beth, grinning at her.

"Hey Beth." He cooed, reaching out to tweak her nose – which made her giggle softly, exposing a row of perfect white teeth.

"I'm Jeff." He offered, and pulled Wes and David's soft toys from the bag; a pair of twin octopus', one with dark brown eyes, with the other had almost black ones.

"These two need to be kept together; otherwise they get very sad; they're very affectionate." He said solemnly; and Beth took them from him, dropping to crawl over to a corner of her cot and set them down, side by side.

Quinn watched as he continued to pull out soft toys and give them to her daughter, offering little snippets of information about each one to her; how Pratik's monkey enjoyed playing music, while Harry's owl sang a lot, and always had to keep his badge over his heart. Beth slowly built up a line of button eyed toys across the back of her cot – Lisa's white ferret, Nick's dark grey seal, the soft red fox Sebastian had supposedly spent over an hour deciding on... – and then, finally, he pulled out his giraffe, and Quinn's cat.

"These two will take very good care of you." He stated seriously, looking Beth right in the eyes as he spoke.

"If you're ever scared, or lonely, or just need a hug, hold on tightly to these, and you'll be okay." He held the toys towards Beth, and she solemnly took them; and instead of putting them with the others, clutched them tightly to her chest, her eyes fixing on Quinn's.

The girl smiled hesitantly, and reached out to stroke some of the baby's fly-away curls.

"Hey, Baby Girl." She whispered; and Jeff smiled, tugging her into a half hug again. Quinn continued to smile at her daughter, lightly tracing the line of her nose to make her screw it up, ticking her neck to make her giggle – and became so absorbed in memorising her baby, she didn't look up when Shelby spoke.

"I need to go out for a little while; we're out of wipes. Do you think you'll be okay alone for half an hour or so?" Jeff glanced up at her, and nodded briefly with a smile; which she returned, before moving to the side of the cot and bending down to kiss Beth on the cheek.

"Mama will be back in a little bit, okay buba? You be good for Quinn and Jeff for me." Beth stared up at her, eyes round; and as she realised Shelby was leaving, began to cry, reaching with grasping hands towards the dark haired woman. Shelby continued to head for the door, grabbing her things, and glancing back when Quinn looked at her, concerned.

"She'll stop as soon as I'm gone, don't worry; if you want to try and get her off to sleep, I would be so, _so_ grateful." Quinn nodded nervously, glancing back at the crying baby; but then Shelby was gone.

And Quinn had _no_ idea what to do.

Beth stared at her with tear-filled eyes, soft hiccupping sobs leaving her lips, and Quinn just stared back, stiff with fear; before Jeff lightly placed a hand on her lower back.

"Pick her up." He whispered softly to her.

"I've got an idea." She glanced at him, a little panicked; but at his smile and nod, obediently got to her feet and lifted Beth into her arms, holding her close.

Beth continued with her hiccupping sobs – albeit more softly now – as Quinn rocked her, while Jeff went to claim the guitar sat near the cot, shrugging the strap over a shoulder. He sat on the edge of the bed, smiling briefly at Quinn, before he began to play, strumming lightly, and grinning at Beth when she turned to look at him.

After a brief intro, he began to sing.

"It's summer time; and you are all that's on my mind. Everyday." Quinn grinned as Beth's little sobs quietened, and they both watched Jeff play, Beth snuggling closer to Quinn. When Jeff reached the chorus, she obediently sung along, rocking Beth with the music and smiling as she giggled.

"Say you'll say, hey, I just keep on wishing everyday, hey, no more running around, running around..." Beth's eyes slipped closed as she tightened the grip she had on Quinn's sweater, humming into the teenager's chest, and the blonde girl lightly bit down on her bottom lip, trying to stop the grin spreading across her face. Jeff, however, had no such reservations; and grinned at her happily, still strumming, before launching into the second verse – and prompting a smile from Quinn when he changed the lyrics slightly.

"Bethany's hair; she looks so cute in the clothes she wears. Her lips so sweet..." Quinn continued to rock the sleeping baby in her arms, before walking to the side of the cot and carefully laying her down on the mattress, pulling the thin cover up over her as she snuffled in her sleep.

Quinn stood over the cot as Jeff finished the song; and didn't even notice the blush which instinctively crept over her cheeks when he moved to stand beside her, looking down at Beth with a smile.

"She's beautiful." He offered softly; and she gave a watery smile, lightly rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"She's perfect." Quinn offered softly; and then turned to press a kiss to Jeff's cheek.

"You're perfect. Thank you." Jeff's blush – a result of the kiss – darkened at her thanks, and he smiled at her, rubbing the back of his neck lightly.

"It's fine." He murmured; and grinned when she pulled him into a hug – returning it and setting his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes tightly.

* * *

><p>Maddy let out a shriek of delight, grabbing Kerry's hands and pulling her round in a circle.<p>

"I love this song!" She cried, gesturing excitedly at the radio, and the other costume girls – and Quinn, who was snapping pictures of the costumes lined up along the wall – all laughed, while Maddy and Kerry began to dance together. Quinn shook her head lightly at her friends, grinning as she turned back to the costumes; but she looked back, surprised, as the girls began to sing.

"Tell me that you want me baby; tell me that it's true..."

Maddy was now stood on top of her desk, dancing as she sang, while Kerry had pulled Lisa to her feet and was now dancing with the blonde girl, who laughed happily.

But Maddy was good; really good.

And when they all launched into the chorus, Quinn realised that Sebastian's sister wasn't the only one.

"I wanna hold you! My skies are turning black; feels like a heart attack. And I'd do anything you ask, I wanna hold you bad!" The doors to the back cupboard were kicked open, and Sammi ran out, launching into the second verse as the others laughed, Carmen leaving her work to dance with the British girl; and Quinn giggled as Maddy jumped down to grab her hands and twirl her, before dancing with her happily. All six girls continued to laugh and dance, while half yelling half singing the chorus; and then Kerry started on the bridge, and Quinn grinned at the red head – who winked, continuing to sing.

When the song reached the guitar solo in the middle, Sammi and Lisa stood back to back, playing air guitar like their lives depended on it, while Carmen laughed herself breathless and Quinn, Kerry and Maddy all danced together, surprisingly synchronised for an improvised routine. Kerry twirled Quinn around as the solo ended; and then the blonde girl launched into the ending chorus herself, singing as the others harmonised, unable to keep the grin off her face.

As the sing finished, all the girls whooped and clapped, and Lisa turned down the radio as a new song came on, heading back towards her work station.

"You're all really good!" Quinn gasped, still a little breathless from all the laughing she'd done; and Sammi nodded with a grin.

"We costume girls have hidden talents." The girl declared; and the others giggled, while Quinn frowned at Kerry.

"How come you never joined the New Directions? We would have won Nationals if you'd been singing with us!" Kerry rolled her eyes with a smile, threading an arm through Quinn's and pulling her back toward the costumes.

"And deal with all the drama in that club? No thanks. We've got enough insanity under out hats already." Quinn grinned at the odd metaphor; but then Maddy was adding to Kerry's words.

"We considered joining the Trouble Tones when Shelby first turned up; but Sugar Motta is not something I would willingly inflict upon myself, and we kinda get the feeling the New Directions' drama is leaking over there as well. So we will remain hidden talents." The girls all sighed dramatically at the words, before giggling; while Quinn tilted her head curiously.

"Why didn't you just form a club of your own?" The costume girls stopped their giggles, and all exchanged looks, intrigued by the idea. Quinn was continuing.

"I mean, you'd avoid all the drama in existing clubs, and you wouldn't have to compete if you didn't want to; and if you did, you could get Coach Sylvester to act as chaperone, because she'll do anything to get one over on Mr Shue." An almost manic gleam entered Sammi's eye at the mention of the Spanish teacher.

"As would I." She offered; and Kerry and Maddy exchanged a look, while Lisa was starting to grin, and Carmen was smiling as she shook her head.

"So? Are we doing this?" Kerry asked, her expression amused; and Sammi watched Quinn, grinning when the blonde girl nodded to indicate she was in.

"Yes, my dear Kerry. I believe we are."

* * *

><p>"The first meeting for the creation of a super awesome drama free glee club is a go!" Carmen frowned at Maddy as the girl banged the gavel she held on the floor.<p>

"Where did you get that?" She asked, confused; and Maddy grinned, blue eyes bright.

"Seb stole it from Wes; apparently he's got, like, eight, and sleeps with one of them each night. Seb thinks he's got some kind of desperate need for power." The girls sat in a circle on the choir room floor all looked at each other; before they shrugged and nodded, Sammi snatching the gavel from Maddy before she started speaking.

"Right. So, first things first; how are we going to get Coach Sylvester to agree to be our supervisor? Once we've got her, if we _do_ decide to compete in Sectionals and whatever, then we can just get some cheerios to fill any spaces we have." The girls all exchanged looks, puzzling over how they could get the frightening woman to help them; before Lisa brightened.

"I can ask Becky to join! Coach really likes her, and Becky will love singing with us." The others nodded; while Kerry frowned lightly.

"Won't she be a little reluctant? I mean, Becky's not stupid; she'll guess we want the cheerios to help out. Do you think she'll be hurt by us using her like that?" Maddy frowned.

"Who said anything about using her? Becky's a nice kid; and she likes singing. Why shouldn't we invite her to join? We can stick up some posters too, so if any other kids want to join they can." Quinn smiled a little wryly as she remembered what had happened when the New Directions had tried putting up posters; and when Sammi met her eyes, she grinned briefly in understanding – before shrugging in a _'why the heck not?'_ gesture.

"Well, that's one thing settled; but what are we even going to sing?" Kerry asked, looking around at the girls; and Sammi smirked significantly.

"Well, the New Directions and the Trouble Tones are into performing top ten pop songs; so why don't we stick to old school kinda stuff? Avril Lavigne's first album, the Veronicas, stuff like that." The girls exchanged looks, grinning at each other, and Carmen nodded.

"I like it; we can be more 'hipster' than the other groups. More original." Kerry nodded in satisfaction; before Lisa spoke up.

"There's no real point talking about all this stuff unless we've got a name." She stated; and Maddy's enthusiastic expression faded.

"Right." She muttered, frowning.

"Costume Girls?" Carmen offered with a half grin.

"We can stick to our roots." Sammi, however, was shaking her head.

"We need something different; something which shows we aren't the same as the other groups, which shows we're not going to get stuck in loads of drama." Maddy tilted her head, thinking; but the answer came from Quinn.

"The Canaries." She offered softly; and Sammi blinked at her.

She blushed lightly, before elaborating.

"The Warblers are unique in that they're really ordered, and they all get along really well; they're not just harmonious when they're singing. And we're like them in that way; plus, they're our friends. Why not let the world know we get on?" The girls all gradually began to grin, exchanging looks; and Lisa patted Quinn on the arm with a grin.

"It's perfect." The girl stated; and Quinn flushed, before returning the smiles the others sent her way.

* * *

><p>"What are they doing here?" Lisa hissed, peering around the edge of the stage to see the group of Dalton students filing in, laughing and jostling each other as they found seats. Kerry, crouching below her, grumbled an answer.<p>

"Maddy invited them. Well, she invited Sebastian and Jeff. The others just came along anyway." Lisa frowned, continuing to watch the uniformed boys.

"Why Jeff?" She asked, confused; and the look Kerry shot her was disbelieving. The blonde blushed lightly.

"I know that him and Seb are friends, and that Jeff's friends with Quinn, but why would _Maddy_ invite him?" Kerry just rolled her eyes at the other girl.

"She's trying to get Jeff to ask Quinn out; you haven't seen all the flirting and the blushing that goes on when they're together." Kerry scrunched up her nose.

"It's disgustingly cute." Lisa continued to watch the Warblers, her head tilting when she saw the familiar head of blonde hair.

"But why would she need our help? She's never needed help getting a boyfriend before." Kerry just glanced up at her friend, at a loss for how the girl she was talking to still got such high grades.

"Quinn isn't the same girl she was the last two years, Lisa. All that old confidence is gone; she's going to have to reel him in the way every other girl does now, rather than by just being popular and pretty. And as her friends, we're going to help her." Lisa opened her mouth contemplatively, and Kerry sighed, preparing to explain in even more detail; before Harry's voice drifted across the seats to the stage.

"I'm going to punch you, David." The Japanese boy declared; and from the whine that followed, the girls on stage guessed he'd done as promised.

Sammi strode onto the stage, shaking a finger threateningly at the Warblers.

"No violence, Takashima. We didn't invite you hear to beat each other up." Harry called back to her.

"Tell David to stop being a douche and I'll stop hitting him!" Kerry snorted softly, and Sammi rolled her eyes, turning to head back to where the others were gathered.

"Why you can't just sit away from him like a _normal_ person I don't know." She muttered as she walked, before grabbing the back of Maddy's shirt and pulling her up from where she'd been sat with her head between her knees, breathing heavily.

"Now is not the time to panic." She stated shortly, turning to Carmen; who hand just finished her eyeliner.

"We're only doing one flipping song. It's not like we're performing a whole _concert_ here, people." Becky, who had been stood near Lisa and Kerry, skipped over to Sammi, grinning happily.

"I'm ready, Sammi." She declared; and Sammi grinned at her, the pair of them high-fiving, while Quinn just walked over from where she'd been toying with the sound system.

"Please tell me that group out there is _not_ who I think it is?" She begged; and Carmen smirked from where she was examining her reflection.

"It's not who you think it is." She offered snarkily; and yelped when Quinn smacked her across the back of the head.

"Not helping, Carmen." She hissed, and began to pace; until Kerry walked over and grabbed her by her upper arms, looking her straight in the eyes.

"You've performed for them before Quinn, with people you liked less than us. This will be no different; except that you won't have to put up with Rachel Berry constantly trying to stay centre, and we're not dancing. That part comes when Maddy's learnt to stop hyperventilating before performing and when we've choreographed some." Maddy looked up from where she'd sat back on the ground, eyes round.

"I thought we were improvising dancing-wise?" She asked; and Sammi shrugged, moving to pull Lisa back to the others.

"It's a good song, and it's fun to dance to; just stay in the semi circle and we'll be fine." Sammi took a deep breath, before reaching out and taking Becky's and Lisa's hands. The others all joined hands at the action, until they were stood in a circle, all looking at each other.

"Ready to do this?" The British girl asked with a grin; and the others all exchanged glanced, before nodding.

"Let's do this." Kerry declared.

* * *

><p>Jeff glanced at Nick, his expression nervous. He opened his mouth to speak; but Nick beat him to it.<p>

"What if they're bad? What do we do then?" The blonde boy frowned at his best friend's words.

"You've seen Quinn, Nick. And Seb says Maddy's pretty good." Nick turned to face him, eyes wide.

"But what about the others, Jeff? _What about the others_?" Jeff rolled his eyes and slapped his friend on the back of the head, prompting the brunette to snort.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Nick chuckled; and Jeff just ignored him, crossing his arms as he turned to look back at the stage.

He sat up when he saw the girls had walked on, and were stood centre stage in a semi circle, all holding microphones.

A grin spread across his face when he saw Quinn, stood between Kerry and a girl he could only assume was Becky; Quinn had told him about the cheerleading coach's minion.

The girls began to clap as the backing music started; before Sammi stepped forward and began to sing.

"I see the rain fall on the river running to the seas again; I see the clouds are rolling over in the sky..." Kerry stepped forward to harmonise with the shorter girl as she continued to sing, while the others danced along, Maddy pulling Carmen around in a circle. Lisa stepped forward for the second verse, Kerry harmonising again; until they launched into the chorus, and all began to sing, dancing along to the beat and looking like they were having the time of their lives.

At the next verse, when Quinn stepped forwards to sing, Nick whooped in support, and she blushed, while Jeff just grinned and clapped in time, as the other Warblers and the rest of the girls were.

The Warblers were so involved in the performance – and the girls on stage were so involved in performing – that they didn't notice the pair stood at the doors, the short girl with her arms crossed over her chest while her boyfriend just frowned. In the circle, hidden in the back, sat a Latina girl and her blonde friend, also watching the performance – the Latina frowning while her friend was smiling and dancing along.

Oblivious to their uninvited audience, the girls continued to dance and sing, the Warblers clapping along, enjoying the performance immensely.

Maddy grinned as she stepped forward for the final line, her voice clear and warm as she sang, and the other girls all stopped dancing to watch her, breathless and grinning.

"You're coming back for me..." The Warblers jumped to their feet, applauding loudly, and the girl fell against each other, giggling breathlessly. Sammi stepped forwards, microphone in hand and bowed dramatically.

"We're the Canaries, and that's how were going to kick your arses." There were catcalls from Wes and David at that, but she just grinned, before joining the others as they hopped off the stage to accept hug from some of the Warblers; and more then one went to high five Becky, which made Quinn smile when she turned away from Steve – who had been fist-pumping enthusiastically for the second half of the song.

She continued to watch the smaller girl; before someone wrapped their arms around her from behind, and span her in a circle, making her shriek with laughter, until she was dropped and pushed lightly toward a familiar blonde boy; who caught and grinned at her.

"You were really good." Jeff offered with a smile; and Quinn blushed, before going up on her tiptoes to gently press her lips to his cheek.

"Thank you."She murmured softly; before she slipped back through the Warblers, leaving Jeff gaping after her, his cheeks flushed, while he moved a hand to touch the spot where she'd kissed him.

The brunette pair at the doors glanced at each other, before the girl stormed off, her companion following after a last frown in Jeff's direction.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are always apreciated.<strong>

**Next Chapter; The First Time**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry this took so long; there was like NO Quinn inspiration in TFT, so this is pretty much ALL from my head-canon. I can't promise the next one will be faster, but I'll try super hard to make it so. :)**

**If you want to see how I waded through my writers block *ahem*Sebastian Fiction*ahem* troll on over to my Tumblr...**

**www . keariel - supports - steve - the - plan . tumblr . com**

**(just remove the spaces. XD )**

**This chapter is also shorter that the others - it's about half the size - so again, I'm sorry.**

**you know the drill by now; I'm not Ryan Murphy, nor am I Katie, aka infraredphaeton, writer of SPAH!.**

**Enjoy, wonderfuls. :)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Three<span>

The First Time

"No, Sebastian! I'm not going to give you Blaine's number; or him _yours_, before you ask." Quinn giggled softly as she continued to walk, flanked by Kerry and Lisa, who was looking over a list of measurements in her notepad.

Sebastian's response was slightly whiney, and made her snort.

_"But Quinn! How else am I supposed to ask him out?"_ Quinn rolled her eyes lightly, glancing at Kerry; who grinned.

"He has a boyfriend, Seb. But because I know that's not going to dissuade you, why can't you be a normal person and wait to run into him? He's bound to visitDaltonat some point; the Warblers are still all his friends." Sebastian's impatient sigh made Quinn turn her eyes skyward, and Kerry chuckled, patting the exasperated girl on the shoulder, before she took Lisa by the elbow and began to pull her off in the direction of the costume rooms. Quinn waved to both of them, before walking into the choir room, listening to Sebastian complain.

"_But the way things are going I'm _never_ going to get the chance to ask him out! Wes and David have some kind of loyalty to whoever his boyfriend is and Jeff just laughs every time I ask if __Blaine__'s going to be coming to see our smaller performances. It's like the world is against me._" Quinn grinned briefly at his dramatics, and took a seat, ignoring the way Rachel was watching her.

"I'm pretty sure the _entire_ _world_ is not against you; and stop being so eager to get rejected." Seb's derisive snort made her giggle again, before she continued speaking.

"But seriously. Patience, little one; your time will come." Quinn grinned at the sarcasm of Sebastian's response.

"_Of course, Master. Why didn't I think of that?_" She laughed again, pulling a notepad from her bag and setting it on her knees, listening to Sebastian lament his lack of a boyfriend.

"_You know I'm not the best at patience, Quinn. I just...I just want to ask him out! That's all!_" Quinn rolled her eyes, and crossed an arm over her chest.

"We both know that's not all; you won't give up if he says no. You're way too stubborn." Sebastian's hesitance made her laugh.

"Seriously; calm down. Be patient, and wait until you've actually had a proper conversation with him." Seb's muttered agreement made her smile; before the boy let out a yelp, and there was a new voice on the other end of the phone.

"_Quinn?_" The blonde girl blushed at the new voice, absently twirling a lock of hair around a finger.

"Jeff?" She could hear the grin in his voice when he responded.

"_Yeah. Uh..._" Quinn waited for a moment for him to continue, before biting at her bottom lip to mask a smile when he continued to hesitate.

"Yes Jeff?" He took a deep – presumably calming – breath before speaking, his words coming out in a rush.

"_Do you want to go on a date with me?_" Quinn stiffened, her eyes widening and a blush forming on her cheeks, while Jeff continued to stammer through the phone.

"_That is...I mean...only if you want to. We haven't known each other long, and...am I going too fast? I'm going too fast, aren't __I.__ Shit._" Quinn giggled helplessly when he swore; before her own answer came in a rush.

"Yes." Jeff hesitated, and when his spoke again his voice was strained.

"_Yes I'm being too forward or...or yes to...to the earlier thing?_" Quinn giggled softly, tugging on her hair.

"Yes to the date, Jeff. Uh, what-what day? And when?" Jeff stammered out his response, apparently shocked by her agreement to go on a date with him.

"_A-are you sure? I mean-shit, what am I saying? I'll, uh, I'll text you. Yeah. Uh-um, b-bye Quinn. I-I'll talk to you later._" Quinn giggled softly at his flustered response, before replying with a soft 'bye' herself, and hanging up.

She sat in her chair for a moment, staring at the phone in her hands; before, when Kurt and Blaine walked in, running with an ecstatic shriek to hug them both.

The other New Directions in the room gave her an odd look when she did so, but she didn't care; later, when she'd explained her outburst, Kurt would make a similar noise and hug her.

But for that moment, she was far too happy.

* * *

><p>Jeff stared at the phone in his hand, ignoring the knowing smirk Sebastian was giving him; before he let out a yell of triumph and punched the air, ignoring the looks he drew from some of the other boys in the room.<p>

Thad yelled at him from the other end of the room.

"You been hanging out with Steve, Jeff?" A couple of the other boys laughed, but Jeff was beyond caring; his grin just widened, and he threw Sebastian his phone before flopping onto the couch, laying back and staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm going on a date with Quinn Fabray." He murmured; and his grin grew, while he let out a little disbelieving laugh, running his hands up his face, before bracing them on the top of his head.

"I'm going on a date with Quinn Fabray." He repeated, still grinning, still in shock; before his smile faded, and he frowned.

"Where the hell am I going to take her?" He mumbled; and Sebastian laughed, before sitting on his legs.

"You should have thought about that before you asked her out." He offered with a smirk; but the look Jeff gave him was unamused.

"I can't take her to dinner or something cliché like that; she's probably had _loads_ of guys just take her out to dinner." He ran a hand through his hair, and stared at the ceiling, lost.

Sebastian just rolled his eyes.

"Stop stressing over it; you'll think of something. Just, like, schedule a time and date and then find something to do; if you don't manage to think of anything, you can always just take her to see a movie or something." The look Jeff shot his friend was withering.

"Your romantic genius astounds me, Seb." He dead-panned; and Sebastian laughed, grinning at the blonde boy. He straightened his blazer, before smirking at Jeff.

"I'm not here to be romantic, Jeff." Jeff just rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"Yeah, right. You're here as God's gift to gay men everywhere. I forgot." Sebastian's smirk just widened.

"Damn straight." He declared; and chuckled when Jeff threw a cushion at him, catching it and throwing it back.

"Or gay, if we're being accurate. But seriously, just do one of those sappy romantic dates like in those movies Maddy's always watching. Take her to a drive in theatre, or for a picnic or whatever. Quinn'll like that kind of thing." Jeff frowned at his friend, pushing himself up on his elbows and shaking his head lightly.

"You really don't know anything about girls, do you? They don't all want to live in a romantic comedy, Seb." Sebastian just shrugged with a grin, before gesturing to himself – which prompted Jeff to roll his eyes with a smile.

"God's gift to gay men, remember? I wasn't put on this earth to understand women." Jeff snorted.

"Yeah, I got that." And Sebastian threw a cushion at him; which made him laugh, until he let out a despairing groan and sank back down on the couch, pressing his face to the pillow.

"I'm doomed." He mumbled; and Sebastian snorted, prompting Jeff to throw the pillow back at him – which made him laugh harder.

* * *

><p>Quinn obediently twirled for Kerry, and the girl grinned.<p>

"It's perfect; so much better than those dresses Lisa put on the rack for Rachel to try." Quinn offered the girl an amused look; when – speak of the devil and she shall appear – the costume room door was thrown open, and five feet of brunette diva strode into the room.

Rachel hesitated momentarily when she saw Kerry; before looking back at Quinn.

"Why are you leaving the New Directions?" Quinn frowned, and looked at Kerry; who smiled in understanding.

"I'll head out to help the others with the set." She offered, moving past Rachel toward the door. When she was gone, Quinn turned back to the brunette frowning at her.

"When did I say I was leaving?" She asked, arching an eye brow elegantly; and Rachel just puffed up importantly.

"You were singing with another group. Singing _in front of the Warblers_. Why would you do that if you weren't leaving?" Quinn shot Rachel an incredulous look, before walking over to one of the work benches, pulling pins from her hair to drop them there.

"Why do kids sing in church choir? Why did Mr Shue audition to be in that musical? I like singing, Rachel. Why does it have to be with only one group of people?" Rachel's eyes narrowed, and Quinn resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

This was ridiculous.

"But they're _another Glee Club_. From what it sounded like, you're getting ready to compete in Sectionals or something!" Quinn gritted her teeth, setting her hands on the work bench and shutting her eyes, trying to remain calm.

"The Canaries don't even know if we _want_ to compete. We were just singing, Rachel. Maddy invited the Warblers because they're our friends." Rachel took a step toward Quinn, seemingly indifferent to the other girl's loosening hold on her temper.

"But you just said _we_. Why would you say that if you hadn't left to join them?" Quinn span around, advancing on Rachel.

"Look, Rachel. I'm not having this argument with you, okay? I haven't left the New Directions. If I had, you would know. The Canaries are my _friends_. I'm singing with them because the last time I sang for the heck of it was when Blaine did Last Friday Night; and that was over two weeks ago. Besides which, if I had left, you wouldn't be doing anything to get me to come back right now; if anything, you're _pushing me away_. So just get out, okay? Go and practice another of your emotionless duets, and butt out of my life!" Rachel gaped at the taller girl, stricken silent; before she turned and stormed out, leaving Quinn to slump against the work bench with a sigh.

Rachel Berry was doing absolutely _nothing_ for her patience; except possibly making it worse.

Quinn tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling, smiling at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck there.

She needed a stress free day; a day when she wasn't worrying about something.

She needed to get out of McKinley.

She was pulled out of her daydream as her phone started to ring.

Quinn walked over to her bag, and grabbed her phone, holding it to an ear.

"_Hello?_" Quinn blushed at the voice, idly scuffing at the carpet with the toe of her shoe.

"Hey Jeff." His following grin was audible over the phone.

"_Is Wednesday good for you?_"

* * *

><p>Jeff muttered to himself as he adjusted the lay of his black button-down over his shoulders, staring at his reflection intently.<p>

Nick, sat on his best friend's bed and reading a book, glanced up at the blonde, frowning. Jeff had been stressed out all day; he'd completely zoned out in History more than once, and their teacher had looked like she wanted to throw one of the ridiculously think text books at him when he'd inferred that the only reason Henry the 8th hadn't made it to ten wives was because the night he was supposed to be meeting up with the woman he wanted to marry next, he'd gotten so nervous he'd died from a panic attack.

Nick had been more concerned by Jeff's serious expression and the panic in his eyes than the comment itself.

His frown deepened as he caught on to what Jeff was saying.

"I'm screwed, I so, so screwed. What the hell was I thinking? She's going to have a shit time and hate it and hate _me_, and I am so, so, _so_ screwed." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Stop freaking out, Jeff. You'll be fine." When the blonde boy turned to his best friend, he waved his hands a little frantically.

"I've never done this before, Nick!" He exclaimed; and the brunette boy regarded him seriously.

Before he snorted.

Jeff just groaned in frustration, before turning back to the mirror.

"Seriously, Nick. I've never been on a date before." Jeff's best friend stopped sniggering, and frowned briefly.

"Seriously? Never?" Jeff just shrugged a little helplessly.

"In middle school I was the dorky tall kid who had to wear glasses to see the black board and went to Halloween parties dressed as Draco Malfoy; girls apparently don't like those things. Besides which being Bi wasn't exactly a turn on forMississippigirls." Nick rolled his eyes lightly and Jeff casually mentioned his old school's problem with his sexuality, before he sat up properly, crossing his legs.

"Yeah, well, all the girls back inMississippiwere jerks. Quinn's not like that; you'll be fine." Jeff watched Nick for a moment; before he moved to sit beside his friend.

"But it's _Quinn_, Nick. She was head cheerleader at McKinley; she's been going out with football players all through High School." Nick rolled his eyes again, and threw an arm across Jeff's shoulders casually.

"And tonight she's going on a date with a dorky, skinny blonde kid who likes to watch Lord of the Rings and has Star Wars sheets on his bed at home. If she seriously had a problem with any of that stuff, do you think she would have said yes in the first place?" Jeff ran a hand through his hair, before he glanced at Nick.

"But she doesn't _know_ that stuff, Nick. Pretty much all she knows is that I'm a Warbler." Nick crossed his arms, and gave his friend an unamused look.

"If you honestly believe that me, Harry and Sebastian haven't been telling her just how dorky you are, I'm insulted that you think so little of us. It's our job to embarrass you in front of your potential girlfriend; and that includes telling her you have Star Wars bed sheets." Jeff gaped at him; before flopping back on the bed, scowling at the ceiling.

"You're all jerks and I need new friends." He muttered; and Nick laughed, laying back beside his friend and elbowing him in the side when Jeff smiled a little.

"If she hasn't turned you down after finding out how much of a dork you are, she'd not going to care if not everything goes to plan tonight, Jeff. So stop panicking for no reason." The blonde boy glanced at his friend; before smiling briefly, and elbowing him back.

"Thanks." He offered softly; and Nick snorted.

"Psh, don't thank me. I just want you and Quinn together so I can invite Sammi round without you butting in." Jeff rolled his eyes at his friend, and shoved him off the bed; snorting at his whine of pain when he hit the floor.

"Jerk." He called down to Nick pleasantly, lacing his fingers behind his head; before yelping as Nick jumped up, and shoved him onto the floor.

"Back at you." The brunette chuckled.

* * *

><p>Quinn nervously tugged on the curled strands of hair falling into her face as she examined her reflection on last time.<p>

Sammi just rolled her eyes with a smile, before getting to her feet and smacking the blonde's hands away from her hair.

"Stop fussing; he'll be here in a moment, and then you can go and be swept of your feet or whatever." Quinn glanced at the British girl, still nervous.

"But what if I do something wrong, and he decides he never wants to see me again?" Sammi just offered her an unamused look, and Quinn blushed.

The brunette girl sighed, and took hold of Quinn's wrists.

"Listen to me, okay? He's not going to run out on you, even if this date is a complete disaster. He sat and listened to you vent about Rachel Berry; he even helped you babysit Beth, Quinn. If you could do anything to scare him off, you would have already done it. But he's still around, isn't he?" Quinn nodded a little reluctantly, and Sammi smiled brightly.

"So stop panicking. And twirl; I want to have another look at the dress." Quinn rolled her eyes with a half smile, before obediently turning.

Sammi and the others had really put their backs into it making the dress Quinn was wearing; it was her usual summery style, but made of white, cherry-printed fabric, with a thick red belt around her waist. They'd managed to put it together in under two days; and Quinn would be eternally grateful.

When she was facing Sammi again, the brunette girl smiled, and nodded quickly.

"Perfect. You've still got that brown cardigan, right?" Quinn nodded, and moved to her wardrobe, pulling out the aforementioned garment and shrugging it on.

When she turned back to Sammi, the girl pulled her into a hug.

"You'll be fine."

* * *

><p>Jeff nervously shifted from foot to foot as he stood at Quinn's front door, ruffling the back of his hair and then gripping the back of his neck, tipping his head back to stare at the sky, attempting to breathe in deep, calming breaths; before reaching out to ring the door bell.<p>

He bit down on his bottom lip when he heard the lock turn; before letting out a breath when Sammi stuck her head out of the door, grinning at him.

"Jesus, don't look so nervous, Jeff; it's not like you're about to go sky diving or something." The British girl's eyes narrowed momentarily.

"You _aren't_ taking her sky diving, are you? Because she is not dressed appropriately for that kind of thing." Jeff swallowed thickly, and shook him head.

"No?" He offered weakly; and Sammi's expression softened; she reached out to lightly rest a hand on his arm.

"Don't look so panicked; you'll do fine." Jeff forced a smile; and Sammi rolled her eyes, before retreating back into the house. Jeff heard her shout up the stairs.

"Quinn! He's here! Stop freaking out and get your but down here before I ruin all my word by dragging you down the stairs!" Jeff grinned involuntarily at Sammi's words, rubbing at the back of his neck again; before the front door was opened fully to reveal a breathless Quinn, smiling at him.

He felt his mouth drop open as he took her in, hair lightly curled around her face, the way she was nervously playing with the belt around her waist.

"Hi." She offered softly; and Jeff swallowed, grinning back at her.

"Hi." He offered, holding out the yellow rose he held in one hand; and Quinn blushed lightly, taking it with a smile.

"Thank you." She murmured; and Jeff's grin widened, before he reached out to lightly take her hand, pulling her toward where his car was parked. Quinn glanced up at him curiously from where she'd been smelling the rose.

"So what are we doing?" She asked; and Jeff flushed lightly as he remembered what he'd eventually planned.

"Well, Team/Blu have a show tonight; so I thought we'd get something to eat before, and then go there. Harry's been missing you." Quinn rolled her eyes lightly, but she was smiling.

"I saw Harry last week." She mumbled; and Jeff shrugged with another grin.

"He's an over-affectionate squid around you; not as bad as Wes and David, but bad enough." Quinn blushed at his words; and the flush darkened as he opened the passenger door for her, bowing extravagantly as she stepped in, making her giggle.

When they were both strapped in, they both turned to look at each other, nerves obvious on their faces.

Before they both laughed, and Quinn reached out to link their hands, lacing their fingers together.

"Shall we go?" She asked softly; and Jeff grinned, before nodding quickly and turning to the road.

He squeezed her hand lightly as he pulled out onto the road.

* * *

><p>Quinn laughed as Jeff twirled her, before pulling her back in, one hand holding hers while the other gently held onto her waist. Their dancing was chaotic, weaving through the other people around the front of the stage; but they couldn't care less, dancing as they moved along to the beat of the song TeamBlu were playing, some indie track Quinn didn't recognise but already loved.

She laughed loudly as Jeff dipped her, before pulling her back up, cheeks flushed and hair messy around her face, a grin spread across her lips. His heart thumped in his chest, and he swallowed; before twirling her again, and striking up a conversation when she was back against him.

"So!" He had to shout over the music and the screaming coming from Team/Blu's few groupies, but the spark of interest in Quinn's eyes showed she could hear him.

"You come here often?" She blinked, before laughing brightly, gently smacking him on the arm.

"Only when cute boys ask me!" She called back, and he grinned, spinning her out and then pulling her back into his arms.

"Really? And where is this cute boy? He must be special if you said yes!" Quinn flushed, and tilted her head to smirk up at him.

"Ah, he's alright!" Jeff gaped at her, and laughed before picking her up around her waist, and spinning her around, prompting her to shriek with laughter.

He set her down just as the song finished, the crowd screaming enthusiastically, while Harry's amused voice came through the mike.

"Okay, so, we're going to slow things down for a bit; give you guys a bit of a rest, and stop Quinn and Jeff smacking anyone in the face." Quinn grinned at the stage, Jeff mirroring her expression from where he stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist; and the Japanese boy rolled his eyes affectionately, moving to whisper something to his bassist as Pratik headed for the main mike.

"...Hi." A couple of girls screamed, and one of the groupies down the front jumped up and down enthusiastically.

"I love you Pratik!" The Indian boy blushed, fiddling with his guitar, while Harry jogged across the stage to stand beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Back off, he's mine." He growled into the mike, and pressed a kiss to Pratik's cheek, before heading toward the key board. Pratik smiled a little, plucking out the chorus of 'I'm Yours'; and the crowd all 'aww'ed, prompting his blush to darken.

"This song technically belongs to another couple who couldn't be here tonight." Harry offered into the microphone at the keyboard, playing a scale experimentally.

"But as we've smoothed out the edges for the kids out there, we don't feel as guilty about playing it without them here. So grab a partner and start swaying." Jeff turned Quinn in his arms, taking up her hand and holding her waist again, prompting a smile to creep across her lips; while Harry began to play, and Pratik started singing.

"I think you're pretty without any make up on. I think you're funny when you tell the punch line wrong..." Jeff rolled his eyes a little at the song choice, but danced slowly with Quinn, other couples crowding around them. The blonde girl blushed a little; before she changed her grip on Jeff, wrapping her arms around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist, and pressing her cheek to his chest, humming along to the song. Jeff smiled down at her for a moment, before he rested his chin on top of her head, singing to her softly.

"Let's just talk all through the night; there's no need to rush..." Quinn smiled briefly, tightening her hold on Jeff; and the boy grinned.

Tonight had gone better than he thought it would.

* * *

><p>Quinn absently turned her yellow rose in her hands as she and Jeff stood at her front door, watching the petals nervously. Jeff himself was staring at his shoes, unsure of how to proceed; before Quinn looked up, smiling briefly.<p>

"I had fun tonight." She offered; and Jeff grinned.

"That-that's good. Great, even. We should-we should do something else. Later in the week. But not-but not too late. I...shit." Quinn giggled softly, before standing up on her tiptoes to press her lips to Jeff's cheek. His skin coloured with the action, but he grinned regardless; and he gently took one of her hands in his, kissing the back with a smile.

Quinn blushed at the action, before quickly hugging him, and slipping into her house with a final, soft 'goodnight'.

Jeff swallowed thickly, running a hand through his hair; before he hissed a soft 'yes', and turned to jog back to his car.

He was sat inside his car when his phone vibrated; and he grabbed it quickly, grinning at the message on the screen.

_So...coffee? Tomorrow at four? Q x_

Jeff typed back a reply, before putting his car in gear and pulling out, a grin spread across his face.

_Wouldn't miss it. J x_

* * *

><p>Quinn hummed happily to herself as she stretched on the stage of the auditorium, Santana throwing her confused looks from beside her now at then.<p>

The looks became down-right alarmed when Quinn smiled at Rachel as the girl walked on stage; everyone had heard about the pair of them fighting the other day. It had spread around the school faster than Britt switched sexual partners.

Remembering Quinn's troubles with the New Directions, a smile crossed Santana's lips. She nodded at Brittany – who obediently moved to sit on Quinn's other side – and they both turned to the girl, Santana with a sly smile.

"So." She started; and Quinn glanced at her, smiling briefly before going back to her stretches.

"Yeah, San?" She asked; and theLatinaquirked an eyebrow at the old nickname, before continuing regardless.

"I hear there are problems between you andBerry." She offered; and when Quinn looked at her this time, her expression was sharp. Santana's smirk widened.

Perfect.

"And what if there is?" She asked, tone clipped;Brittanyspoke up, watching Quinn earnestly.

"You should come join the Trouble Tones!" She stated, and Santana smiled briefly at the girl; before it faded with Quinn's bemused look.

"Why would I do that?" She asked, her tone amused; and Santana frowned in irritation.

"Because Rachel's a solo stealing hobbit who needs to be shoved off her high horse." TheLatinasnapped; and Quinn rolled her eyes lightly.

"If you _honestly_ think I care that much about getting solos you're sadly mistaken." She offered with a snort, and Santana narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you even in Glee club if you don't want to sing?" She asked, tone scathing; and Quinn scoffed lightly.

"I do sing, Santana; just because I'm not upfront belting out notes doesn't mean I don't do any singing. And I get solos in the Canaries; if I ever left New Directions, that's where I'd go." Santana's expression twisted into one of disbelief.

"_Why_? The Canaries are a group of costume girls who probably have never even kissed a guy, and Becky Jackson, who only rose out of the swamp of other faceless morons because Sue has some kind of fondness for her and made her Co Captain of the Cheerios. In the Trouble Tones, you could win Nationals with us." Quinn had stiffened at the insult against the Canaries; and when she turned to look at Santana her expression was hard.

"First, the Canaries are my friends; including Becky, who's nicer than you give her credit for. Second; my life is good right now, Santana. I've got friends who care about me, I get to sing when I want to; and by the end of the week I might even have a boyfriend. I'm not ready to wreck a single one of those things because Rachel Berry gets on my nerves." Santana rolled her eyes, sitting back on her hands and arching an eyebrow at Quinn.

"Please. All you care about is your bastard child and the next boy you can hang onto to pull yourself to the top." Quinn stared at Santana, speechless; before Artie was calling out to everyone.

"Okay, come on! We need to practice the scene forAmericaone more time!" Quinn launched herself to her feet, turning to look at the boy.

"I'm not doing it." She said shortly. Artie frowned.

"Quinn, what-?"

"I'm not singing with _her_." She pointed at Santana, before turning and striding off stage, phone already out of her pocket.

She was starting to think she couldn't do this anymore.

* * *

><p>"…and now she's looking for a downtown man."<p>

"That's what I am." Quinn ducked back around the corner when she saw the teacher at the common room door, watching as the woman turned and walked away, before cautiously approaching the room, peering in with a growing grin when she saw the Warblers, stood near the windows; and quite obviously serenading Blaine, sat on the arm of one of the couches.

She leant against the door frame with a half smile, head tilted; and barely managed to hold in a snort of laughter when she saw the way Sebastian was watching Blaine intently.

She would _pay_ to be there when he met Kurt.

She looked over the assembled Warblers with a smile, grinning when Harry winked at her; before she locked eyes with Jeff, blushing despite herself.

He grinned, keeping his eyes on hers as they finished the song; and when they had done, and most of them moved to talk toBlaineor congratulate Nick, he walked straight over to her, pulling her into a hug.

Quinn smiled, her face pressed to his shoulder.

"What did you think?" He asked softly; and Quinn grinned.

"You were fantastic, as always." She offered in reply; before Nick called from back where the other Warblers were gathered.

"Hey, Jeff! Don't hog her, she's our friend too!" Several of the others laughed, but Jeff just called back over his shoulder, face still in her hair.

"She's my girlfriend; get your own." Someone who sounded suspiciously likeTrentcalled out burn; and then, if his yelp was anything to go by, got subsequently punched in the arm.

Jeff, however, pulled back quickly, studying Quinn's expression.

"That's alright, isn't it? We…we are technically dating now; boyfriend and girlfriend and all that stuff." He winced slightly.

"I haven't just ruined this, have I?" Quinn giggled softly, before pulling him back into a hug.

"I want to be your girlfriend, Jeff. Just….I don't want to tell the New Directions about us. Not yet; I don't know how they'd take it." Jeff nodded into her hair, smiling to himself; before he lifted her up, spinning her quickly, and eliciting soft giggles from her.

"Thank you for saying yes." He breathed; and she grinned, tightening her hold on him.

"Thank you for asking."

* * *

><p>"Oh my god you <em>didn't<em>." Quinn flopped back on her bed, phone pressed to her ear, grinning as she listened to Sebastian defend himself.

"_Hey! I'm an honest guy, Quinn. It is _so_ not my fault if __Blaine__ is too self-conscious to take the compliment at face value._" Quinn rolled her eyes.

"It's not that, Sebastian. It's the fact that in one conversation, you managed to call Blaine sexy, _and_ infer his relationship with his boyfriend is anything but! You can be so….agh!" Sebastian snorted softly, and Quinn grinned to herself.

"_Eloquent, Quinn. Really. You should write a book._" Quinn let out a sigh, studying the ceiling of her bedroom.

"And you should apologise." She retorted; and Sebastian's response was amused.

"_Do _you_ think that moisturising over the phone is sexy? Because if you do, I'll happily apologise to them both._" Quinn hesitated; and let out a soft whine when Sebastian laughed.

"Stop it, Seb. Okay, so I guess it's not the most _intimate_ thing. But there's nothing wrong with that! Not every relationship has to get 'down and dirty' or whatever." Sebastian snorted, and Quinn smiled, rolling onto her stomach.

"_Down and dirty. How old are you, fifty?_" Quinn giggled softly in response; before lightly chewing on her bottom lip.

"So, the Warblers are coming to West Side Story, right?" She could almost hear Sebastian's smirk over the phone.

"_Yes, Quinn, we are. And yes, that will include your disgustingly sappy boyfriend._" Sebastian's hesitance before continuing made her frown.

"_Why did you tell him you don't want the New Directions to know? You told the Canaries; Maddy hasn't shut up about how cute the pair of you are._" Quinn blushed lightly; before she frowned to herself.

"The New Directions…" Quinn trailed off, before sighing.

"Apparently, Senior year means drama for Glee Club; and it's rising by straining all our friendships. I tell the New Directions about Jeff, and I can't see myself sticking around, Seb. They'll judge me; if not Kurt and Blaine, and Mike and Tina, the others will. And I can't bear the kinds of looks they're bound to give me; as if they don't trust me. I would have left as soon as the Canaries formed; but Finn's got some kind of strange vendetta againstBlaine, and the new kid is actually kinda nice, and, well…some of them are still my friends. I don't want to loose that unless I have to." Sebastian hummed softly in understanding; and when he spoke again, his voice was soft.

"_Just don't stick around if it starts being more of a chore, Quinn. You shouldn't have to put up with out people's problems for the sake of a couple of friendships that would survive anyway._" Quinn smiled briefly; before it quickly switched to a smirk.

"I still can't believe you asked Blaine and Kurt out to a Gay Bar." Sebastian's whine brought back her grin.

* * *

><p>Quinn breathed heavily as she lined up with the others on stage, ready for the first curtain call. She glanced at Mike, stood to her left – exchanging a grin with him when he caught her gaze – before she looked out to the wings; and her grin widened as she saw Sammi and the others, all grinning at her.<p>

She had just enough time to wave, before the curtain went up; and the crowd was on their feet, applauding loudly.

Quinn's heart thumped in her chest, adrenaline pounding through her veins.

She was starting to understand when Rachel craved solos so much; because this feeling was _amazing._

She looked over the crowd with a widening smile, her eyes pausing on her mother – clapping with a fiercely proud smile on her face – before scanning the line ofDaltonblazers.

And locking her eyes on a head of bright blonde hair, blushing as he clapped loudly, Steve fist-pumping beside him, his grin warm.

Quinn glanced at the others in the crowd, eyes draw to where one of the football players in the chorus was winking at his girlfriend in the front row.

Before she looked back at Jeff.

And, in a move which risked being noticed by the New Directions, blew him a kiss.

Mike gripped her hand lightly; and when she glanced at him, he grinned.

_I'm happy for you_, he mouthed.

Quinn felt herself go warm; and bowed with the others.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review. :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Sooo...I know it's late, and I'm really sorry; but if any of you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know my inspiration tanked this week. Seriously. It was _horrible_.**

**Besides which, it was hard thinking of a way to incorporate Shelby telling Quinn she can't see Beth anymore without having Quinn acting like a bitch.**

**And my Quinn is nice. :)**

**SO. Here it is; and I would really recomend you follow me on Tumblr. My screen name is keariel-supports-steve-the-plan ; although if you search the Shabastian tag, most of the stuff in there is done by me.**

**I'm just suggesting you do so, because I often drop spoilers about up-coming chapters and I write a lot of one shots and post them on there.**

**Also, if you message me and say you're from here, I may write you drabbles. :p**

**DISCLAIMER; you know the drill by now; I aint Ryan Murphy. Nor am I Katie, so anything which looks like it might come from Spah! int mine. XD**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Four<span>

Mash Off

Quinn let out a groan, before dropping her head onto the table, hands diving into her hair. Lisa and Maddy, already sat with their lunch spread in front of them, exchanged an amused look.

"Troubles, sweet pea?" Lisa asked, her southern twang amused; Quinn peered up at the girl through her hair, scowling.

"No, Lisa. I've just decided to slam my head onto tables periodically from now on." Instead of being offended, Lisa rested her chin on a hand, her expression amused.

"So what's troubling you? Rachel again?" Quinn let out a non-committal grunt, and the other two girls chuckled, before Maddy spoke.

"Finn, then? Has he been being a jerk to Blaine again?" Quinn shrugged, head still on the table; and the girls exchanged another amused look, before Lisa leant across the table.

"Boy troubles?" She asked softly; and when Quinn flinched, Lisa glanced at Maddy – who just arched an eyebrow interestedly, before turning to her sandwich. Lisa turned back to Quinn, resting her chin on the table.

"What's going on?" Quinn mumbled something into the table, and Lisa frowned.

"I can't hear you, honey. You're going to need to sit up." Quinn hesitated, before sighing and doing as she'd been bid, lifting her head to meet Lisa's eyes.

"We've been dating for two weeks, Lisa." She mumbled; and the other girl blinked.

"And?" She asked; prompting Quinn to explode.

She sat up throwing her hands up over her head.

"And we haven't kissed yet! Is that...is there something wrong? Should I be worried? Every time we've gone on a date lately I can tell he wants to, but...I don't know what to do, Lisa! What am I supposed to think?" Quinn dropped her head back onto the table, while Lisa chuckled softly, reaching out to tug on a lock of the other girl's hair.

"Jeff's a gentleman; he probably just doesn't want to rush things." Quinn let out a whine, and Lisa chuckled; while Maddy grinned briefly.

"If you want to kiss him, why don't you just do it?" The look Quinn shot her was frustrated, and Lisa chuckled.

"Jeff's not going to take that very well, Maddy. If Quinn lays one on him he'd just as likely to freak out as kiss her back; and boys like to think they're in charge." Maddy rolled her eyes lightly, turning her attention to her carrot sticks, while Lisa grinned, turning back to Quinn.

"You need to seduce him." She stated decisively; and at Quinn's apprehensive look, she giggled softly.

"I don't mean anything over the top; you don't want to give him a heart attack. Just...draw more attention to your lips. Make him want to kiss you so badly that he forgets his whole 'gentleman' thing." Quinn still looked a little nervous; and Lisa giggled, before rolling her eyes.

"Tonight, we'll go out for ice cream with a couple of the Warblers, and I'll show you. Okay?" Quinn swallowed at the excited gleam in Lisa's eyes, and nodded; before Kerry slammed down into the seat beside her.

"The world sucks and one day I am going to choke Santana Lopez on her own hair." She declared; and the other three girls all exchanged a look, before bursting into giggles.

* * *

><p>Quinn's eyes narrowed as she saw Puck's glance toward Shelby; and her expression turned down-right alarmed at the look Shelby offered back.<p>

She watched the legal guardian of her daughter walk away, while Puck watched her go, Mr Shue brushing off what had just happened.

The blonde's expression darkened as she mulled over what had just happened, spending the rest of rehearsal going over the possible meanings, and the consequences.

When Glee was over, she chased Puck out of the room; and then pushed him into the first empty class they passed, shutting the door behind her.

She scoffed at the amused look on Puck's face, shoving him back a step.

"Don't look at me like that, Puckerman. I haven't had a thing for you since half way through Sophomore Year, and I have a boyfriend." Puck response was amused; but made Quinn flinch.

"Never stopped you before." Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer to him, jabbing him in the chest.

"Like you can preach to me about cheating; and I'm not here to talk about that. What's going on with you and Shelby?" Puck's brief slip in expression was enough to confirm her suspicions, and she shoved him again.

"What are you _doing_? Do you want her to lose her job? You know if she gets fired she won't be able to get a job for a long time? Especially not if the reason is because she was in a relationship with you! She could lose Beth, Puck!" Puck seemed at a loss for words for a moment, before he snapped back at her.

"She'd only lose her job if someone told. I'm not going to; what about _you_?" Quinn narrowed her eyes at him.

"You seriously think I want Beth being shoved into a foster home because you don't have any self-control? Get a grip, Puck. Besides which, if I can see what's going on, someone else is going to." Puck's eyes narrowed.

"Not everyone's as observational as you, Quinn." He snapped, his words anything but a compliment. Quinn just scowled.

"You don't need to be observational when it's so damn obvious." She retorted; and at Puck's disbelieving eye-roll, she slapped his arm.

"You think someone else won't tell Figgins? Or Child Services, even? Yeah, sure, there's and chance that I could get Beth back if that happened; but regardless, Shelby would still be fired – and you'll have made things twice as hard for her." Puck blinked at her words; before his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You want Beth back?" Quinn stared at him for a moment; before she threw her hands up, dropping them to glare at him.

"That isn't the _point_, Puck! Yes; I'd love to have Beth back. She's my _daughter_. But you need to end things with Shelby; stop whatever it is you've started with her. Seriously, Puck; end it, or I'll find a way to do it for you." Quinn offered him one last glare, before she shifted her bag higher on her shoulder and turned to storm from the room.

She stared when Sammi suddenly appeared beside her, threading her arm through Quinn's.

"Lisa tells me you're going for ice cream with the Warblers tonight." She offered casually; and Quinn blinked at her, before smiling slyly.

"Yeah; Nick's going to be there, from what Jeff says." Sammi flushed lightly, and Quinn smiled, still on a bit of a low after her conversation with Puck.

"What happened to being hopelessly in love with Mike?" Sammi grinned sheepishly up at her, before adjusting her walk so her legs crossed over Quinn's, Quinn laughing and copying her as they moved down the hall.

"I can't kid myself anymore; Asian Fusion is indestructible. I'm just going to have to admire him from afar and deal with just having Nick." Quinn giggled softly at the British girl's dramatic, wistful gaze – before Sammi span out of the blonde's grip, taking hold of both of Quinn's hands to pull her back toward the exit.

"So. Shall we go teach you how to make Jeff want to pin you against a wall and kiss you until your knees go weak?" Quinn flushed, moving to swat at Sammi's shoulder; but the other girl dodged out of the way, giggling, before grabbing Quinn's hand, so they both ran laughing from the building, heading for Sammi's Volkswagen Beetle.

They exchanged a look when they were strapped in, both flushed and giggling; before Sammi laughed, and started the car.

* * *

><p>Lisa dropped three cups of ice cream onto the table, pushing one to Sammi and the other to Quinn.<p>

"Right. So, we've got half an hour until the guys turn up; plenty of time for a basic lesson." Quinn frowned at her; before she head Sammi make a frankly obscene sound from beside her, and turned to see the British girl had already started on her ice cream. Sammi's eyes flicked up to meet Quinn's, and she smirked lightly, before scooping some more ice cream onto her spoon; and then proceeding to lick the dessert from her spoon in the most _obscene gesture Quinn had ever seen_, shutting her eyes and moaning softly, before pushing the spoon between her lips. Quinn swallowed, her cheeks flushing, wondering whether Sammi _intended_ for her to now be questioning her sexuality.

Lisa cleared her throat, frowning at Sammi in disproval.

"Yes, Samantha, thank you for that example of what we'll be teaching Quinn. Save it for Nick, please." Sammi pouted, the spoon still dangling from her lips, while Quinn turned to Lisa, cheeks still flushing. Lisa chuckled softly at Quinn's crimson cheeks, before nodding at the blonde's ice cream.

"That is going to be what we're aiming for; for the moment, let's go for basics. Scoop some of your ice cream out of your cup." Quinn glanced between Lisa and the smirking Sammi, before obediently scooping out a spoonful of ice cream, turning back to Lisa.

The southern girl smirked briefly.

"Now try to turn us on by eating it." Quinn flushed bright red at the other girl's words; before shutting her eyes briefly, calming herself, before opening them and starting to lick the ice cream from her spoon. She ignored the others as she licked at the dessert, eyes on the spoon, before pushing the spoon between her lips and moaning contentedly, eyes slipping closed. Quinn hummed softly, before dragging the spoon out of her mouth, pulling her bottom lip out in a slightly pout; and when her eyes slid open, and she saw the way Lisa was gaping at her, she blinked innocently, dropping her spoon back into the cup.

"How'd I do?" She asked with a smile. Lisa swallowed, before glancing at Sammi. The British girl just offered her an amused look.

"You're the bisexual one, Lisa. Tell her how she did." Lisa swallowed again, before giving Quinn a very serious look.

"If you hadn't already assured us all of your heterosexuality, I would not be able to be held responsible for my actions. If Jeff doesn't kiss you after that I'm going to smack him." Quinn blushed, while Sammi laughed and elbowed her lightly.

"Well, it _obviously_ worked on Lisa. Now you just have to eat the rest of your ice cream like that when the guys get here, and make Jeff want to throw himself at you." Quinn flushed at her words, prompting both girls to laugh; before the door to the ice cream parlour opened, and they all looked up to see a troop of uniform-clad boys walk in.

Quinn flushed when Jeff grinned at her, swallowing as she thought about what she was about to do; before shrieking in surprise when Sammi clambered over her to sit at the end of the bench, pushing her toward the window, and waving coyly at Nick.

Who swallowed thickly, glancing at Jeff and Sebastian where they were flanking him; before Sebastian rolled his eyes, and shoved him forward.

The brunette scowled briefly at him – and Sebastian just smirked, before winking at Quinn and making her blush, moving to slide in beside Lisa. Jeff looked between his friends, frowning at the way they'd effectively separated him from Quinn; and Lisa rolled her eyes, before elbowing Sebastian in the ribs, prompting him to grin and obediently get back up, helping her to her feet so that Jeff could slide in.

"I apologise for your idiot friends." Lisa offered as Jeff moved to sit beside Quinn, lightly taking hold of her hand on the table. Nick 'hey!'ed in protest, while Sebastian just smirked, before sliding back onto the bench after Lisa.

Quinn turned to watch Jeff coyly from beneath her eyelashes, tilting her head.

"You're not getting anything?" She absently stirred her own ice cream, watching as he smiled briefly at her, idly threading his fingers through hers. Sebastian rolled his eyes at he watched them, kicking Nick under the table and making the boy jump from where he'd been watching Sammi absently twirl a lock of hair as she watched him. He glared at the other boy; but Sebastian just smiled briefly.

"Go get some ice cream, Nick. Stop staring at her; she's not going to disappear." Nick scowled at him, while Sammi just grinned, sticking her tongue out at Sebastian, before fluttering her eyelashes at Nick.

"I'll go with you, if you like?" She offered sweetly; and Nick swallowed, before nodding eagerly, getting out to help her to her feet, before following her, ignoring the way Lisa giggled softly. Sebastian just rolled his eyes.

"Your friend is going to kill Nick, Quinn." He offered; but blinked when he looked back at the blonde couple, snorting at the choked sound Jeff made, while Lisa tried to stifle her giggles.

Quinn ignored them, continuing to lick at her ice cream, humming contentedly and trying to pretend she couldn't see the way Jeff was staring at her.

The blush creeping up her cheeks said otherwise.

She licked the last of the ice cream off her spoon, before glancing at Jeff; and blinking innocently at the look he was giving her, his eyes fixed on her mouth. Her lips quirked in a little half smile, and she tilted her head to watch him, absently licking at the ice cream lingering on her top lip.

Jeff leaned a little closer to her, his grin tightening on her hand, moving to lightly hold the side of her neck, eyes flicking between hers and her lips-

Before Nick dropped three cups of ice cream onto the table, pushing one to each of the other Warblers.

"You guys can pay me back later." He offered; and Quinn's expression dropped with Jeff's retreating hand, and when he sat back in his seat, blushing, reaching out to idly turn his ice cream cup in his hands, she glanced at Lisa desperately.

The look the southern girl was giving Nick could have set him on fire – but the brunette just ate his ice cream obliviously, humming happily, while Sammi rolled her eyes, mouthing a 'sorry' at Quinn as she slid in beside the boy. Quinn just shrugged absently, stirring her ice cream again, chewing on her bottom lip.

She missed the conspiratorial glance Lisa and Sebastian shared; and the way Sebastian smirked significantly, high-fiving the girl discretely.

* * *

><p>Quinn scuffed at the stage of the auditorium idly as she stood beside Rory, zoning out the bitch-fest Finn, Rachel and Santana were in the middle of in favour of mulling over yesterday's events.<p>

Jeff had been _so close_ to kissing her; she could tell.

She was going to kill Nick.

Quinn started when Shelby walked past her, smiling at the woman briefly and absently swaying along to the song she and Mr Shue were singing. She smiled when she saw Kurt sit down, and moved to sit beside him, crossing her legs beneath her and grinning when he glanced at her – the expression widening when he returned it, while she linked hands with him, swaying along to the guitar and piano.

When they finished, she applauded politely with the others, an intrigued smile crossing her features when Mr Shue talked about combining forces; before she rolled her eyes at Santana's interruption.

She smiled briefly to herself when she remembered picking up on something from Santana's earlier argument with Finn; and when Mike, stood on her other side, nudged her with a curious look, she grinned.

"Phenomenal isn't even spelt with an f." She murmured; and the boy blinked in surprise, before grinning, Quinn reciprocating the look; before she perked up at the mention of Mash Ups.

She'd always enjoyed mash ups; and she smiled when she saw Kurt and Blaine exchange a look.

Quinn knew they were remembering that it had been mash ups which resulted in their meeting the first time.

She drummed her fingers idly on her hip as Shelby and Mr Shue arranged a time for the 'Mash Off' to happen; before jumping when a familiar voice called from the wings.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Will?" Both groups and their directors turned to look at Coach Sylvester, stood with her hands on her hips, Mr Shue looking rather frustrated while the others were just curious.

Quinn blinked when she saw Sammi stood beside the woman, grinning contentedly, rocking on her heels.

The British girl winked at Quinn, before stepping forward with Sue.

"What do you want, Sue?" Mr Shue asked, irritated by her interruption; and Sue smirked.

"As you may have found out from frankenteen and his shoe-elf girlfriend, one of m'cheerios has joined a new Glee Club made up of some of the smarter rejects in this school; she has asked me to be their director, and as they're a self-funded group and I have no problems when it comes to being named hypocrite, I agreed. Therefore I'm here on behalf of the Canaries, asking why they weren't invited to partake in this little competition of yours? My gut's telling me your intimidated by their talent, and the fact that they can survive without copious amount of product ground into their skulls each day." Mr Shue blinked at Sue's words, while Sammi looked like she was trying to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

Santana scoffed lightly.

"Why not? It's a group of costume rejects and Becky Jackson; I've got more talent in my little finger then they've got combined." Quinn glared at the Latina; while Sammi smirked slightly.

"At least I can spell, Santana. Phenomenal? It starts with a p. Not an f. How do you even pass English?" Santana's eyes narrowed, and she took a step toward Sammi, one hand braced on her hip.

"Okay listen up, British English; you do not talk back to me. There is a food chain at this school; maybe they didn't have one back in _Dublin_, but we have one here. You? You're at the bottom. Where as we are at the top. So do not talk back to me, Short Stack." Sammi met Santana's gaze, amused; before she advanced on her, Lisa and Kerry appearing from where they'd been stood back in the wings, watching silently.

"Firstly, Miss my-last-name-is-the-same-as-J-Lo's-so-I-must-be-more-badass-than-you, Dublin is in _Ireland_. If you don't know that, good luck graduating. Secondly; in case you haven't noticed, you are not the top at this school. Coach Sylvester is. And who is she supporting? Oh, right. Us. The Costume Rejects, as you so eloquently put it. So back the hell up, before I use my short stature to my advantage make you trip over all your ego." Sammi smiled at her patronisingly to finish, before turning her attention to Mr Shue.

"We'll practice with Quinn after school, so don't worry about her missing any rehearsals. See you on Thursday." Sammi smiled and waved at Quinn, grinning when the blonde returned the gesture, before she walked off stage, Kerry and Lisa following her, the red-head mumbling a 'hi Rory' to the Irish boy before she hurried after her friends.

Sue crossed her arms over her chest, looking amused by Sammi's words.

"That is the kinda girl I need on m'cheerios." She observed pensively, before turning and striding off stage, ignoring the New Directions who got in her way in favour of walking into them; and then frowning when Tina glared at her, before pushing past her.

Mr Shue and Shelby watched her go with a frown, before they turned to Quinn.

"You're leaving us, Quinn?" Mr Shue asked, still frowning; and Quinn blinked, before shaking her head, amused.

"Uh, no. I'm still part of the New Directions; the Canaries are my friends, and sometimes I sing with them. If they go to Sectionals, I probably will too. It doesn't mean I'm leaving the group." A couple of the New Directions exchanged glances, while Mr Shue's frown deepened.

"There are rules about this sort of thing, Quinn-" Quinn cut over him, losing patience.

"Yeah, I know Mr Shue. We read the rule book; you have to go to the school the club comes from if it's a Glee club and not an organisation like the Hipsters. There aren't any more rules about clubs except the twelve person one, besides which the Canaries aren't even running against you for Sectionals; we're up against Aural Intensity and that school for the deaf we faced in Sophomore year." Rachel took a step forward, oblivious to the way the Trouble Tones were murmuring amongst themselves, their expressions amused.

"But you're still competing in Sectionals, which means there is a very slim chance you could be against us in _Regionals_. What are you going to do if it comes down to that?" Quinn's expression darkened.

"If you keep on having a go at me, Rachel, then if that happens I really _will_ be against you, because I'll have walked out of this stupid club already!" She snapped; and Rachel flinched, while Mr Shue took a step forward, hands up like she was some kind of skittish animal about to bolt.

"None of us want that Quinn; and Rachel didn't mean it." Quinn rolled her eyes lightly.

"Please. Of _course_ she meant it; one thing I've learnt about Rachel over the last two years is that she's got an infuriating tendency to declare her un-wanted opinions to the world. And don't kid yourself, Mr Shue; I haven't been part of this club for the sake of singing since last year." She smiled a little sarcastically, before turning on her heel and walking off stage; and letting out a breath of relief when she found Maddy waiting for her, texting.

The brunette smiled at her briefly.

"Come on. Lisa wants to teach you about the art of eating lolly pops; and Kerry's probably going to interrogate you about Rory." Quinn smiled briefly at the mention of Kerry's strange crush on the exchange student, before grinning as Maddy threaded her arm through hers.

"To the Cafeteria!" She declared, and pulled Quinn, shrieking with laughter, in the direction of the exit.

* * *

><p>"Sit your ass down, Sterling; we're going to be here a little while." Jeff frowned at the trio stood in front of him, before obediently sitting on the couch, pulling his legs up to cross them beneath him. Harry pulled Pratik into his arms, resting his chin on top of the shorter boy's head; and Pratik smiled briefly, before turning his attention back to Jeff, humming the chorus of 'Tell Me Why'. Harry grinned, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist.<p>

"Why haven't you kissed Quinn yet?" The Japanese boy clarified; and Jeff flushed, swallowing thickly. Sebastian rolled his eyes lightly, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"It's not like she'd been running away ever time you try; you _don't_ try. She's the one doing all the prompting, Jeff." The blonde boy glanced up at his friends, before glancing down at his hands, mumbling something. The trio exchanged a look, before Sebastian turned back to the blonde.

"What was that, Jeff? We didn't hear you." Jeff's blush darkened, and he wrung his hands in his lap; before glancing up at the others.

"I've never kissed anyone before, Seb." He offered softly; and Sebastian blinked, glancing at Harry and Pratik – who both looked confused. Harry turned to Jeff, frowning at him.

"...Say that again?" Jeff threw his hands up in frustration, before leaning back against the back of the couch.

"I've never kissed anyone before. Quinn's my first girlfriend; first relationship. This is all new territory for me, guys. I have no idea what I'm doing." Harry glanced at Sebastian; and the Warbler rolled his eyes, dropping into the seat beside Jeff while Harry and Pratik sat on the coffee table opposite them, Harry watching Jeff very seriously.

"We don't do this for everyone, Jeff, so watch very carefully." He stated; and Jeff frowned, before his expression turned nervous as Harry turned to a flushing Pratik. Jeff glanced at Sebastian; who just smirked, leaning back in his seat.

"Watch and remember, Sterling; it's not every day Kapashima demonstrates kissing technique." Jeff rolled his eyes at his friend, turning back to look at Harry and Pratik; and swallowing as Harry reached out to lightly cup Pratik's cheek, grinning at him briefly.

Pratik leant forward instinctively, and Harry shifted closer to him, pressing his lips softly to the other boy's; before he wrapped an arm around Pratik's waist, pulling the shorter boy closer, Pratik moving to tangle his hands in Harry's hair.

Jeff shifted uncomfortably as the pair continued kissing; and went bright red as Harry deepened the kiss, pulling Pratik into his lap, soft, breathless gasps coming from both boys.

Sebastian snorted softly as he watched, shaking his head lightly; before Pratik whined softly, wrapping his legs around Harry's waist, and both Sebastian and Jeff jumped to their feet.

"Woah! Woah, Tiki, not in here!" Sebastian moved to tug on the back of Pratik's blazer; and the Indian boy swatted at his hand, moving back to continue kissing Harry. Sebastian and Jeff exchanged a look, silently agreeing that the pair were not going to separate through anything less than extreme measures; and Jeff frowned at the door to the room they were in.

"Pratik, what's your sister doing here?" The pair jumped apart in a move which made Sebastian snort, Pratik smoothing his blazer and turning to the door, cheeks bright red; before he frowned at the empty doorway, and turned to Jeff, who was blushing, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Save the making out for in your rooms, Pratik. I doubt me and Quinn are going to be doing that when we first kiss." Pratik flushed an even darker red, and Harry got to his feet, moving to wrap an arm around Pratik's waist and drag him back toward the door, eyes dark.

"We're going, and we're not going to be back for a while." The Japanese boy declared, pressing his lips to Pratik's neck and making the shorter boy shiver, before they both turned and walked quickly from the room, hands linked.

Jeff glanced at Sebastian; who smirked.

"Yes, they're going to do what your thinking." He offered, amused; and laughed when Jeff threw a cushion at him.

"I don't want those mental images, Sebastian Smyth!"

* * *

><p>"Hey Rory." Quinn bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly, grinning briefly at the Irish boy. He glanced at her, smiling a little nervously; and she stopped bouncing, in favour of tilting her head and frowning at him.<p>

"What's up?" He grimaced.

"Is it actually possible that I'll die during this game?" Quinn blinked at him; before giggling briefly, elbowing him in the ribs.

"You'll be fine. Besides, Kerry'll be cheering you on." Quinn pointed at the red-headed girl, stood in the bleachers with the other Canaries, home made pom-poms in hand. Kerry grinned and waved, shaking her pom-poms enthusiastically; and Quinn laughed when she glanced back at Rory, and saw the blush on his cheeks.

"Just avoid the balls and throw them at the girls in black, okay?" She offered with a grin, clapping him on the shoulder; and he smiled in response, before joining her as she jogged back to join the other New Directions. She squeezed in between Mike and Blaine, grinning at both of them while she bounced on her heels. Mike rolled his eyes with a smile, while Blaine looked just as excited as she did. She zoned out of Finn's pep talk, dancing absently with Blaine and grinning at him; before whooping happily when they broke out of the circle, and Brittany started the music.

Quinn wiggled her fingers at Mercedes in a hello; and grinned when the other girl waved back, before skipping back to the end of the gym and getting ready to run for one of the dodge balls lined up in the middle of the room, a smirk crossing her features as she locked eyes with the cheerio she'd be competing with.

Amanda was slow; and they both knew it.

Quinn sprinted for the ball as the whistle blew.

* * *

><p>Quinn laughed as she held an arm in front of herself and Artie, deflecting a ball thrown by Brittany; before she caught sight of Sammi and Maddy, stood with a video camera, narrowing it on her.<p>

Her eyes narrowed; and Sammi glanced up, winking at her.

"You're boyfriend will be unable to resist you after this, Quinn!" She called; and Quinn gaped at her, before running across the gym, ignoring when she was hit and technically out in favour of jumping onto the bleachers and attempting to take the camera off Sammi.

"Don't do this, Sammi, you can't show Jeff, I'm all sweaty and disgusting!" Sammi just laughed, shrieking as Quinn tried to pull the camera from her hands, Maddy helping her British friend while all three of them laughed and the other three girls on the bleachers continued to cheer for the New Directions, Kerry screaming Rory's name enthusiastically.

Quinn had almost gotten the camera; when Kerry suddenly swore loudly, jumping from the bleachers onto the floor of the gym. Quinn turned to watch her run to the side of Rory, now cowering on the floor, Kurt already beside him.

The blonde girl frowned as she watched them, crossing her arms, glancing between Kurt and Santana; and blinking, alarmed when she saw the way Santana was smirking, brushing off the fact Rory's nose was bleeding.

She glanced at Sammi; and started a little at the way the British girl was watching Santana, expression dark – and as Kurt helped Rory toward the locker rooms, Sammi jumped down from the bleachers, and stormed over to Santana.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" She snapped; and Santana arched an eyebrow at her.

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Sammi took a step closer to her, the other girls jogging to back her up.

"You heard me. You just threw rubber balls at Rory so hard that his nose started bleeding. What the _actual_ fuck is wrong with all of you?" The Cheerios behind Santana exchanged looks at Sammi's language, while Santana just glared at her.

"Look, _British English_, you can't-" Sammi cut over her, taking a step forward and jabbing her sharply in the chest.

"No, _you_ look. Insulting someone is one thing, but you just assaulted him, and then you _laughed about it_. You told a boy who spent the last year getting thrown into lockers and who had his life threatened to calm down! What the _hell_ is wrong with you? Are you just generally an unobservational bitch? Or do you genuinely _hate everyone_? Open your eyes, Santana, and sort yourself out. Because some day, everyone's going to find something to hate about you; and you'll be left with _no one_." Sammi shoved the taller girl one last time, before turning on her heel and storming out of the gym, the other costume girls close behind her.

Quinn hesitated, watching Santana for a moment, and glancing at Mercedes; before she followed her friends, previously sunny mood gone.

Why did everything have to fall to crap?

* * *

><p>Kerry and Lisa exchanged a look; before they skipped to stand on either side of Blaine and Kurt, threading their arms through those of the couple with deceptively sweet smiles.<p>

"Hi Kurt." Lisa offered sweetly, Kerry echoing her with a 'hi Blaine' from the other side, the girls keeping pace with the pair. Kurt and Blaine exchanged a glace; before looking back at the girls, both amused.

"Ladies." Blaine offered, watching Kerry curiously. The pair leaned forward to look at one another, nodding; before they moved to stand in front of Kurt and Blaine, stopping them in their tracks.

"We would like to invite you to see the Canaries Mash Up. Coach Sue isn't letting anyone in unless they've been officially invited by one of us, and we want you to watch, because we like you. Some of the Warblers are coming too; although you may want to commandeer Wes and David to sit on either side of you, so that Sebastian doesn't try anything..." Lisa frowned as she trailed off, glancing at Kerry; and the red-head shrugged.

"Maddy'll keep him on a leash." She offered; and both girls nodded, before turning back to the amused couple opposite them.

"So you'll come; and you can invite Mike and Tina too. Oh! And Artie!" Kerry glanced at Lisa as she listed the other New Directions; before glancing back up at Kurt and Blaine, and scuffing the floor with the toe of her converse.

"And you could always invite Rory, too..." She mumbled; and Blaine chuckled softly, while Kurt grinned.

"We'll be there." He offered; and Kerry blushed, while Lisa grabbed her hand, pulling her after her as they ran down the hall, obviously off to the costume rooms. Kurt rolled his eyes with a smirk, deliberately stroking his hand against Blaine's; and the other boy grinned at him, before tugging on his sleeve.

"C'mon. The others will be wondering where we are."

* * *

><p>Quinn laughed as she walked of stage with Mike and Blaine, grinning as Blaine teased Mike over how he'd looked in his moustache, before Maddy jogged up to them, a grin spread over her face.<p>

"You guys were _amazing_." She stated, grinning; and Quinn grinned, blushing, while Mike and Blaine exchanged a grin over the blonde's head.

"Thanks Maddy." Blaine offered; and the brunette shrugged.

"It's just the truth." She offered; before grabbing Quinn's hand.

"You're boyfriend's outside, waiting for you; and Lisa has lollypops." Quinn rolled her eyes lightly, throwing a grin at Mike and Blaine over her shoulder; before snorting when Maddy called back to them.

"Oh! And Blaine? I'm sorry about Seb; sibling similarities only go so far." Both girls laughed softly at the surprised look Blaine offered them, before Maddy was pulling Quinn down the aisle of the auditorium, through the doors, and then down the corridor.

When they rounded a corner, Maddy stopped, panting, and Quinn rolled her eyes.

"You're so unfit." She jibed playfully; and Maddy rolled her eyes.

"No; I'm just not as fit as a cheerleader." Quinn scowled as Maddy giggled at her own words; before it slipped, and she frowned at the brunette.

"I never did ask; who out of you and Sebastian is adopted? You both look really similar..." Quinn trailed off when she saw the way Maddy was blinking at her, confused.

"Adopted?" She asked; and Quinn nodded, frowning.

"Seb told me you were his adopted sister." She explained; and Maddy's mouth dropped open.

"_What?_" Quinn's frown deepened.

"You're not?" Maddy spluttered indignantly, shaking her head.

"No! Of course not! We're _twins_ for god's sake!" Quinn blinked; before giggling as Maddy's face darkened.

"Please don't kill him." She pleaded half heartedly; and Maddy chuckled darkly, before taking Quinn's hand and resuming their path to the exit of the school.

"Oh, I'm going to do more than kill him." She stated darkly; and Quinn snorted softly, earning a brief grin from Maddy, before they moved through the doors.

Quinn grinned and waved when she saw Jeff, leaning against his car, blazer having been discarded at some point – and chuckled when Maddy strode ahead of her, making a bee-line for Sebastian; who looked both surprised and a little concerned.

Lisa sidled up to Quinn from seemingly no where, and pressed a lollypop into her hand; and grinned at the flush which spread across Quinn's cheeks.

"You want him to kiss you, sweet pea." She offered; and lightly set her hand against the small of Quinn's back, pushing her in the direction of her grinning boyfriend.

"You're going to have to get use to eating confectionary in a somewhat perverted way."

* * *

><p>Quinn knocked on the door, pushing down her irritation in favour of smiling in preparation for it being opened; and grinned when Shelby opened the door, following her inside.<p>

"Hey. Um, my mom found this blanket I used to have when I was a baby, and I thought I'd drop it off for Beth. You haven't said anything about some point when I can babysit again, so..." Quinn trailed off with a nervous smile, holding up the box in her arms; and tried to ignore how odd it felt not having Jeff stood beside her.

She was annoyed at him; she shouldn't be missing him at the moment.

Her smile faded when she saw the way Shelby was watching her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Shelby stated shortly, as she moved around the living room, picking up toys and a blanket draped across the back of the couch. Quinn frowned briefly.

"What?" Shelby sighed, dropping the toys into a toy box sat against the wall, before she turned on Quinn, hands on her hips.

"You were going to call child services?" Shelby asked, narrowing her eyes; and Quinn's frown deepened.

"What? No. Why would I?" Shelby scoffed, grabbing an odd toy she spotted on the floor.

"Because of some crazy idea you've got about me and Puck? It won't get you Beth back. That's what you thought, isn't it? You call child services, talk to Principle Figgins; I lose my job and they drop Beth back into your arms. Well it doesn't work that way, Quinn. Beth's my baby." Quinn spluttered in surprise, at Shelby's words, blinking at her.

"I-what-I'd never-who told you that?" Shelby swept past Quinn, opening the front door, and stood beside it, the expression she shot Quinn sharp.

"It doesn't matter; I don't want you around Beth anymore. I'd like you to leave." Quinn turned to gape as her, hands shaking with her grip on the box as she stared at the woman telling her she could no longer see her daughter.

"I-I...but..." Shelby just gestured sharply at the door; and Quinn swallowed back the lump in her throat, a knot coiling in her stomach as she shakily set the box on Shelby's kitchen counter, before walking out of the door.

She turned back, intending to say something; only for the door to be slammed in her face, leaving her staring at the expanse of grey-painted wood.

Her eyes flooded with tears, and she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, before turning and walking down the hall as quickly as she could, aiming to get to her car without breaking down properly.

She almost made it; she ended up sat on the gravel, back pressed to the driver-side door, sobbing into her hands as it finally sunk in that she may never see her baby again.

Quinn shakily reached into the pocket of her bag, pulling out her phone and scrolling through her contacts. She hesitated only for a moment, thumb hovering over the name.

Before she tapped down on it, switching her phone onto speaker and dropping it into her lap.

He picked up after two rings.

"_Quinn?_" His voice was hesitant; she didn't blame him for it. She'd been irritated all afternoon after yet another failed attempt to get him to kiss her.

She broke down at the sound of his voice, tears streaming down her cheeks, choking words out through her sobs.

"Oh g-god, Jeff..." His response was immediate, and urgent.

"_What's wrong? Where are you?_" Quinn swallowed back another sob; but it gasped out of her unexpectedly, and she buried her face in her hands.

"S-she won't- Shelby, she- Jeff s-she, sh-she won't l-let me see B-b-Beth." Jeff swore through the phone, and Quinn let out a bark of tortured laughter; before the tears were back, and she sobbed harder, wrapping her arms around herself.

She must have been sat on the ground, sobbing, for half an hour when a pair of arms were wrapped around her, and Jeff was pulling her against his chest, letting her sob into his t-shirt.

Jeff gently stroked his fingers through her hair as he held her, his cheek pressed to the top of her head, whispering softly that it would be okay, and for her not to worry; that he'd be there as long as he needed her.

Quinn wrapped her arms around his waist and held onto him tightly as she cried; before sucking in a deep breath, and shifting closer to him.

"I'm sorry."She whispered; and Jeff shook his head, still stroking his fingers through her hair.

"Don't be. You needed this; I'm glad I was able to help." Quinn laughed a little bitterly; but it quickly changed into a choked sob.

"I'll never see her again." She whispered; and Jeff tightened his hold on her, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"Never say that." He whispered, holding her tightly.

"Shelby will see sense; she'll let you see Beth again. I know it." Quinn pulled back enough to look up at him, her eyes bright with tears, swallowing thickly.

She looked a little desperate when she spoke.

"Really?" She asked softly; and Jeff nodded, before gulping nervously, and leaning forward to gently brush his lips against hers.

Quinn melted, wrapping her arms around his neck.

It was nothing like either of them had expected their first kiss to be; sat on the ground, Quinn's cheeks still wet with tears, Jeff shivering slightly and regretting his not remembering to grab a jacket before coming to find Quinn.

But it was what she needed; and what he'd wanted to give her.

And for that reason, it was still perfect.

* * *

><p>The entire auditorium fell silent as the slap echoed, Santana staring at Finn, her eyes flooding with tears, while the boy gaped at her, mouth hanging open.<p>

For a moment, everyone just stood there.

Then Santana turned and ran from the auditorium, the other Trouble Tones all staring at each other, while Brittany jumped down from the stage to slap Finn herself, already crying openly.

That second slap was enough to force the others to act.

Kurt turned on his brother, outrage clear across his face.

"You _outed her_?" He snapped, and Blaine moved from where he'd been sat to stand beside his boyfriend, tightly gripping his hand.

"I didn't mean to!" Finn exclaimed; and Brittany looked like she was going to slap Finn again, before Mercedes grabbed her wrist pulling her away and into a hug.

"You still _did_, though, Finn." Kurt retorted; and Finn glanced away guiltily, while Rachel leapt to his defence.

"It's not like Santana's ever been all that nice to us though, has it? I mean, outing her is a little extreme, but don't forget that she's never been the nicest to any of us; and she did the same to you in Sophomore year, Kurt." Kurt scowled at Rachel, but it was Quinn who responded, having walked on stage with the other Canaries when they heard the slap.

"Except she didn't do it in a crowded hallway." Rachel turned to look at Quinn and the others – blinking when she saw how they were dressed, in dark pink cheerleading outfits, with the exception of Quinn's, which was pale pink – and opened her mouth to respond; but Quinn just held up a hand, cutting her off, and climbed off the stage, the others following her.

"I'm going to find Santana; Britt, if you wait in the Choir Room I'll come and find you." The blonde cheerleader swallowed her sniffles to nod briefly, and Quinn smiled, before heading for the door Santana had run through, the Canaries following her.

They paused before walking through; and Quinn turned back, expression serious.

"What you did was wrong, Finn; the fact that she's never been particularly nice doesn't stop it being so. And at some point, you need to apologise."

They left without another word.

* * *

><p>"Quinn!" The blonde girl turned from where she'd been speaking to Kerry and Carmen, and smiled when she saw Becky running toward her; before it faded as she took in the shorter girl's red cheerio uniform.<p>

"You're not performing with us." The statement wasn't questioning; but Becky shrugged regardless.

"Coach needs my help with her campaign. I'm still a Canary, and the cheerios will still be backing you up, but I can't sing with you." Quinn's expression dropped; and she pulled Becky into a brief hug, the other Canaries moving to join the hug.

Becky giggled softly when they released her, before stepping back and crossing her arms with a smile.

"Good luck. I know you'll be really good." The Canaries all smiled and nodded, before Becky turned to jog back to the back stage exit, where they could see Coach Sue stood against the wall.

The coach nodded at the girls; and they waved back, before the woman and Becky left silently through the door.

Quinn turned to the others; and let out a heavy breath, smiling a little sadly.

"Today's been too stressful for Legally Blonde." She offered; and Sammi smiled and nodded, while Carmen spoke up.

"Shall we do Realise? It won't require much effort, but it'll sound gorgeous." The girls exchanged smiles, and Kerry walked over to the musicians, while Sammi moved to lightly nudge Quinn in the ribs.

"You still stressed about everything going on with Santana?" She asked softly; and Quinn sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Britt and Santana had left half an hour ago; but she was still recovering from the shock of discovering what Finn had done.

But at the same time, she felt guilty for not being more sympathetic.

What had happened to Santana had been horrible; the whole state was going to know her sexuality before she'd even managed to tell her parents. They'd all seen what had happened to Kurt; what was coming for Santana was bound to be similar, even if people were generally ignorant, and hypocritically seemed to have less of a problem with being female and homosexual than male.

But Santana had always been so _horrible_.

Ever since Quinn had first met her, every other word leaving her mouth had been an insult; and all last year...the things she'd said to Kurt – or even just aimed in his general direction – had been awful.

Quinn sighed again, before turning to look at Sammi.

"Sometimes I feel like it's my fault she acts the way she does; that if I'd set a better example when we were closer, that she wouldn't be so...so _horrible_." Sammi frowned briefly; before pulling Quinn into a soft, one-armed hug.

"You shouldn't think like that; it's not your responsibility to make her a better person. Yeah, you weren't exactly peaches and cream when the pair of you were close; but neither was she. And if it was entirely down to your influence that she wasn't, how come Brittany is still a nice person?" Quinn glanced back at the English girl, smiling a little; and Sammi grinned, before lightly nudging her.

"Don't let what happened get to you; it wasn't your fault. Now come on; we've both got boyfriends to impress." Quinn blinked; before a grin spread across her face.

"You mean you- and Nick? Really?" Sammi grinned and rolled her eyes lightly.

"He asked me and I said yes; we are officially dating. Now come on, Fabray; we've got a show to put on." Quinn pulled Sammi into a hug, before they both jogged onto the stage; and got ready for the curtain to rise.

* * *

><p>Lisa's voice faded out; and the small audience jumped to their feet, the Warblers cheering loudly while Mike and Tina clapped with smiles, and Kurt and Blaine linked arms, both glowing as they watched Quinn get surrounded by her new friends in a group hug. Sammi detached for the group to run down the stairs to the seats, shrieking with laughter when Nick caught her in a hug, swinging her around; and Maddy, who had follower her, laughed loudly, before drawing Sebastian into a conversation – and winking in Blaine and Kurt's general direction as she set him off on some kind on rant which eventually made her roll her eyes.<p>

Wes and David had just about finished hugging Blaine to death, despite his repeated declarations of his hatred for them, when there was a chorus of whistles from the Warblers; and they looked up to see Quinn and Jeff stood on stage, Jeff's arms around Quinn's waist while hers were around his neck, and they stared at each other. Nick shouted something from where he was sat in the stalls, Sammi draped casually over his lap, and Jeff made to turn to look at him with a grin; but Quinn moved to tangle her fingers in his hair, keeping his eyes on hers.

A slow grin spread across his lips, before he ducked his head to kiss her, the Warblers hooting appreciatively; before cat calls rang out as Quinn tightened her hold on him, deepening the kiss, pressed flush against him.

Kurt linked his arm through Blaine's, and smiled briefly, tilting his head.

"They make a good couple." He offered; and when Wes and David glanced at him, he smirked slightly.

"Quinn has never really been a part of the New Directions. She needs someone to look after her; and if Jeff's that person, then good for her. I don't believe she's going to tell them any of Rachel's closely guarded secrets; and even if she did, it's not like we haven't dealt with stuff like that before." Blaine smiled, and nudged Kurt briefly.

"So we're happy for them." He offered; and his boyfriend grinned, tugging him closer.

"Yeah. We're happy for them."

* * *

><p><strong>Okies. Sorry again for lateness. Please review. :)<strong>


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